Forced to fund half their pension by themselves, govt employees up in arms

The new pension scheme has caused indignation and sparked widespread protests

On November 16, Union minister Piyush Goyal was reportedly hounded out of an event in Lucknow by railway employees. Among other issues, the protesters were angry about the new pension scheme and demanded the restoration of the old system. 

Not just Uttar Pradesh, unrest against the scheme has been brewing across the country and often manifests in mass protest demonstrations.

Forget sustenance, several recently retired government employees say they can’t even pay their monthly electricity bills with the pension amount.

Many of these employees covered under the new contribution-based pension system are receiving as little as Rs 700-800 as monthly pension while the