PWD Minister Vikramaditya says UPS will be discussed in Cabinet

Giving a hint that the state government was open to discussing the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh today said that the scheme would be discussed in the Cabinet and the government would then take a decision on this.

“When Old Pension Scheme was restored in the state, the UPS option was not there. We will discuss it in the Cabinet meeting. The main agenda is to protect the interests of the employees. We will see whether it can be achieved through the OPS or the UPS,” the minister said. He further said that the financial implications of both the schemes would be studied and then the decision would be taken by the government.

Stunned by the minister’s statement, the employees did not waste any time in making it clear that they were against the UPS and any decision taken towards implementing it would be opposed.

Incidentally, the Centre has been sending repeated reminders to the state government to implement the UPS instead of the OPS in the state. “There are several shortcomings in the UPS and that’s the reason why employees have rejected it across the country,” said Pradeep Thakur, an employee leader.

It may be mentioned here that the restoration of the OPS in the state was the top election guarantee of the Congress, and it reintroduced the OPS shortly after coming to power.

On Delhi elections, the minister said the party’s poor performance was disappointing and it would set alarm bells ringing in the party. “We will have to work hard to become a principal opposition party in Delhi,” he said. At the same time, he accused the Centre of reducing the Central assistance to the non-BJP ruled states in a systematic and calculated way for political benefits.

Singh also urged the UP government to put in place proper arrangements and facilities for the people visiting Prayagraj for Maha Kumbh. “The UP government should learn lessons from the previous tragedy and make good arrangement for the visitors,” he said. “Some lapses could happen when an event of this scale is being organised, but all preventive measures should be put in place for the safety of the visitors,” he said.