The Maharashtra government on Monday to set up a committee consisting of senior bureaucratic officers to look into the demand of the State government employees to implement the old pension scheme (OPS) in the State. The committee will submit within the prescribed period.Around 17 lakh government employees, including doctors, teachers, non-teaching staff, have said they will go on strike from Tuesday demanding to revert to OPS.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday urged the employees to withdraw the decision to go on strike, while stating that it was accepted as a principle that the officers and employees should live a safe and dignified life after retirement.Mr. Shinde said, “Participation of employees is important in the development of the State. People’s representatives and administration are the two wheels of the chariot. Therefore, the government is not against the principle behind the demand to implement the old pension scheme. The mentality of the government is to find a way out of this. Discussions will be made to maintain the social security of the officers and employees after their retirement. A committee of administrative officers, retired employees will be appointed in this regard. This committee will submit the report in a timely manner.”
The Maharashtra State Government Employees Federation was leading the strike and close to 60 unions under the banner of Rajya Sarkari Karmachari Madhyavarti Sanghatana had been warning of a state-wide demonstration. The Maharashtra Rajya Castribe Karmachari Kalyan Mahasangh has launched a Nagpur-Mumbai march which will reach the Maharashtra Assembly on Tuesday.The OPS guarantees a life-long income, post-retirement and the government bears the expenditure incurred on the pension, whereas, under NPS the funds are invested in earmarked investment schemes through Pension Fund Managers. The OPS was discontinued in 2003 by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. Five non-BJP ruled States have either gone back to OPS or are in the process of doing so. Congress-ruled States Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh, the Aam Aadmi Party-ruled Punjab. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-Congress government in Jharkhand has announced going back to OPS.