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The Central Trade Union’s leader says that the employees have been demanding this.
The Sangh Parivar-affiliated Central Trade Union, Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to revive the old pension scheme and keep all Central government employees under it.
BMS leader and Secretary General of Government Employees National Confederation, Sadhu Singh, said in a letter to Modi that the Congress-led Rajasthan government’s announcement of relaunching the old pension scheme should be emulated at the Central level too.
He said all Union government employees who were appointed on or after January 1, 2004, are at present under the Contributory Pension Scheme. Singh said the employees have been demanding that the pension being received in the form of social security, under the CCS Pension Rules 1972, should be continued.
“Right now, the Rajasthan government in its budget 2022-23 has announced to bring the employees of the State again under the old pension scheme,” Singh said.
Maharashtra, Jharkhand govt’s move
Citing media reports, he added that Maharashtra and Jharkhand governments are also going to bring their employees out of the new pension scheme. Singh cited manifestos of various Opposition parties in the five States where elections are taking place and said they have promised that that if they come to power, they will implement the old pension scheme.
“These announcements have also aroused the feeling among the Central government employees that the Central government should also bring its 4 employees under the old pension scheme. Keeping in mind the sentiments of the employees, BMS and its affiliated federations working for government employees are continuously demanding that the Central government employees should be brought under OPS,” Singh said.
The BMS has been demanding that if the OPS is not implemented, then a minimum pension guarantee under NPS should be given, which should not be less than 50 per cent of the last pay. “Therefore, it is a humble request to you that according to the CCS Pension Rules 1972, 50 per cent of the last pay should be provided as pension to the Central government employees at the time of their retirement,” Singh added in the letter.