State govt under fire as employees, pensioners gear up for protests

The employees and pensioners of the state government, in a meeting held here on Saturday, condemned the government for its alleged indifferent attitude toward their current demands. During the meeting, plans were made to intensify their agitation. The meeting was organised under the banner of the Punjab Employees and Pensioners Joint Front, with participants from various departments of the state government.

Gurpret Singh Gandiwind and Gurbhej Singh Dhillon, state leaders of the Front, addressed the gathering and criticised the government, stating that it has done nothing positive to address their demands during its more than three-year tenure. The Joint Front decided to hold dharnas on August 7 in front of the SDM office in Patti and on August 8 in front of the SDM office in Khadoor Sahib to protest against the government.

The leaders demanded the restoration of the old pension scheme, regularisation of services for non-permanent employees, pay scale parity for employees recruited after July 17, 2020, and other issues. The participants raised slogans condemning the state government during the event.