A day after the Union Cabinet approved a new Unified Pension Scheme (UPS)  for Central Government employees, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge hit out at the move, saying ‘U’ in UPS stands for the “U-turns” that the Narendra Modi-led Government takes on various issues.

Fulfilling long pending demands of Government employees ahead of Assembly elections in Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra and Jharkhand, the Cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), which assures guaranteed pension. The dissatisfaction among some Government employees was noticeable during the Lok Sabha polls, although it was less pronounced than in state elections. Observers suggested that this discontent could be influential in upcoming election battles.

Taking a dig at the Government, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said, “The 'U' in UPS stands for Modi Govt's U turns! Post June 4, the power of the people has prevailed over the arrogance of power of the Prime Minister.”  “Rollback in the budget regarding Long Term Capital Gain/Indexation. Sending Waqf Bill to JPC. Rollback of Broadcast Bill. Rollback of Lateral Entry,” Kharge said.

“We will keep ensuring accountability and protect 140 crore Indians from this despotic Government!” the Congress chief said in his post on X.

The new pension scheme also guarantees an assured minimum pension of Rs 10,000 per month on superannuation after a minimum of 10 years of service.This option scheme will benefit 23 lakh central Government employees, he said, adding that the number would rise to 90 lakh if state Governments want to join the scheme.

Announcing other features of UPS, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had said an assured family pension will be provided to the spouse of a deceased employee. In addition, there would be inflation indexation on assured pension, assured family pension, and assured minimum pension.

With the addition of all these features, it marks the transformation of the National Pension System (NPS), which promised pensions based on the contribution made by employees and the Government. The announcement came against the backdrop of several non-BJP states deciding to revert to the DA-linked Old Pension Scheme (OPS) and employee organisations in some other States raising demand for the same.

Although the Government asserts that the announcement is not politically motivated, political experts suggest that its timing, just weeks before multiple state Assembly elections, is not a mere coincidence. Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Haryana, and Jammu and Kashmir will all go to the polls in the coming weeks.