Employees working under the new pension scheme (NPS) have demanded that it be scrapped and the old pension scheme (OPS) be revived as soon as possible. With this demand, thousands of State Government employees under the banner of National Movement for Old Pension Scheme (NMOPS), Jharkhand on Sunday held a rally at Morhabadi ground.
The rally was also attended by former Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) executive president Hemant Soren where he assured the Government employees of restoring old pension scheme.
Soren addressing the Government employees claimed that if JMM is voted back to power than the party will seriously think of reviving old pension scheme. Soren said, “If JMM gets power in year-end Assembly election, then his Government will look into the aspect of reviving old pension scheme.
The Government employees have all the right to getting old pension scheme.” Sources said that as there are nearly 65,000 government employees in State, they constitute a sizeable vote bank for any party.
The JMM leader heard the agitating government employees’ grievances. NMOPS regional general secretary, Pradeep Mandal said, “If the Government employees have the will power they can easily implement the old pension schemes for state government employees as West Bengal Government provides pension to its employees under the old pension scheme.” Mandal said, there is big difference in the old and new pension scheme. According to NMOPS member, prior to 2004, the retired Government employees used to get pension as per old pension scheme which was fifty per cent of the last salary drawn by the employees.
However, in new pension schemes there is neither any clarity nor any fixed amount Government employees getting on his or her retirement. Mandal said, “We are demanding revival of old pension scheme because the new pension scheme is not employee friendly.” The employees questioned that when political representatives in the Assembly and Parliament were getting pay, perks and pension as per the OPS, why the employees were being given a different scale.
The NMOPS with their demands submitted a memorandum to government.
The NMOPS members claimed that if their demand is not accepted they will intensify their agitation in coming days.
