 "OPS vs NPS: Why did government employees hold a rally at Ramlila Maidan?")
Employees of the central and state governments from across the country on Sunday gathered at the Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi to demand the restoration of the old pension scheme (OPS). Several opposition parties also extended their support to the protesters.
Among those who joined the "Pension Shankhnaad Maharally" were AAP Rajya Sabha member of Parliament (MP) Sanjay Singh, former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his Congress colleagues Arvinder Singh Lovely, Sandeep Dikshit and Udit Raj, Bahujan Samaj Party MP Shyam Singh Yadav, and farmer leader Rakesh Tikait.
What was the rally about?
The protesters gathered under the banner of the Joint Forum for Restoration of Old Pension Scheme (JFROPS) and National Joint Council of Action (NJCA) and said they were worried about their post-retirement future. They wanted the governments to restore the old pension scheme.
"The employees who joined government service after January 1, 2004, are strongly opposing the New Pension Scheme. They are worried about their future after retirement because they have been deprived of the Old Pension Scheme and forced into the New Pension Scheme," said Shiv Gopal Mishra, National Convener and General Secretary of All India Railway Men's Federation.
OPS restoration: How many participated in the rally?
The protesters said that the party that promises to restore the old pension scheme should be voted to power in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Holding placards and flags, the protesters raised slogans of "Inquilab Zindabad" and "Karamchari Ekta Zindabad". "We had given a call to bring back the old pension scheme (OPS) and we had successfully brought back the OPS in several states with our struggle," said Vijay Kumar Bandhu, leader of the National Movement For Old Pension Scheme (NMOPS).
"Our team believed that if the central government ratifies this (OPS), then the onus won't be on the state government. This is why we had come to Delhi's Ramlila Maidan (to protest)," he added.
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What are the protesters demanding?
The rally was organised to pressure the Centre to nix the National Pension Scheme (NPS) and bring back OPS.
"The old pension scheme has been closed in the country since 2004 and since 2005 in Maharashtra. We don't want the NPS (New Pension Scheme), we don't want this share market scheme. The Constitution also says the old pension is our right..." Jitendra, one of the protesters who came from Pune, was quoted as saying in a report by ANI.
What is OPS?
Introduced in the 1950s, the old pension scheme guarantees a monthly pension equivalent to 50 per cent of their last drawn basic salary. It also gives a dearness allowance upon retirement or an average of the wages earned in the previous ten months, whichever is more favourable.
To qualify for these benefits, employees must have completed ten years of service. There is no employee contribution required for this scheme. Moreover, income is not taxed.
What is NPS?
Under the national pension scheme, a state government employee contributes 10 per cent of his/her basic salary plus dearness allowance, with the state making a matching contribution.
The money is then invested in one of the several pension funds approved by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority, and returns are market-linked. So, it does not guarantee returns.
On maturity, 60 per cent of the corpus is tax-free, while the remaining 40 per cent is taxable when invested in annuities.
Which states have supported OPS?
Several states, like Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh, have announced that they will bring back OPS.
Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday that his party strongly supports bringing back OPS, adding that NPS is an "injustice against employees".
"We strongly support the demand of govt employees to bring back OPS. NPS is an injustice against employees. We have implemented OPS in Punjab and have written to the Centre for implementing it for Del govt employees. Some other non-BJP governments have also implemented OPS," Kejriwal posted on X.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and other party leaders said that as soon as its government is formed at the Centre, it will implement OPS in the country.
"These OPS protests show the anger of our steel frame, the government officers, against the ruling regime," AICC general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal said. "We implemented OPS in Congress-ruled states because it is their right. This crowd of 20 lakh people tells a story - the BJP's days are numbered."
Earlier, former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that if Congress returns to power in Haryana, they will implement OPS in the first cabinet meeting.
(With agency inputs)