Campaign for restoration of Old Pension Scheme begins

The Gazetted and Non-Gazetted SC/BC Employees Welfare Federation has launched a signature campaign demanding the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for employees recruited after January 1, 2004.

The initiative, led by Federation president Satwant Tura along with key members, Manjit Gat, Santokh Singh Malli, Lakhvir Chand, Sohan Lal, Manjit Das, Balwinder Masih, Balwinder Nidhadak, and Vinod Kumar, aims to pressure the Punjab government into revoking the New Pension Scheme (NPS), which they deem unfair.

Criticising the Punjab government, members of the Federation argued that the recently issued notification on the OPS by the AAP-led state government is incomplete and lacks concrete action. "The demand for OPS is legitimate and constitutional," said Tura, pointing out that despite repeated protests and demonstrations by thousands of employees, the government remains indifferent to their grievances while prioritising vote-bank politics.

The Federation questioned the disparity in pension benefits between government employees and elected representatives. "If the government insists on NPS for employees, why are MLAs and MPs still entitled to generous pension benefits? Employees undergo rigorous qualification tests before joining government service, yet their retirement security is neglected. There should be a standardised policy where elected representatives also follow similar pension rules," Tura stated.

The signature campaign, set to continue until March 20, may culminate in presenting the collected signatures to the Chief Minister at the ancestral village of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Khatkar Kalan, on the martyr’s anniversary.