Ajit Pawar announces reconsideration of position on old pension scheme

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar expressed a shift in his previous stance on the old pension scheme, indicating a positive reconsideration. He highlighted the state government's aim to find a balance among salaries, pension amounts, and the overall financial burden on the state.

Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Pawar said Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and he have already held a primary discussion over the issue of the old pension scheme (OPS).

Pawar said, Devendra Fadnavis had expressed his opposition to the OPS, I had also said similar things during a session when I was the finance minister of the state in the past. However as per my information, the Centre is thinking of addressing this pending issue which will benefit the people financially. The (central) government is working seriously on this issue ahead of the Lok Sabha polls (due next year). The eligible people will get financial benefits from the year 2021, he said.

Asked if the change in stand came after the BJP suffered a jolt in the MLC polls in the state (held earlier this year in which opposition MVA won 3 out of 5 seats), Pawar said, Of course, it is one of the key reasons. If a decision is hurting people, then we as politicians don’t do it. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and I have already held a primary discussion over the issue of the OPS. We want to strike a balance between the salaries, pension amount and its burden on the state’s coffers, he said.

Significantly, numerous government and semi-government employees in Maharashtra have been advocating for the reinstatement of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), which was discontinued in the state in 2005. The OPS entails that a government employee receives a monthly pension amounting to 50 percent of their last drawn salary, without the necessity for any contributions from the employees themselves.