E-Paper
Haryana to take call on old pension scheme after Centre’s decision: CM
Khattar stated this while responding to a question by Independent MLA Balraj Kundu on the opening day of the assembly’s monsoon session
The Haryana government will take a call on the demand of government employees to implement the old pension scheme (OPS) after the Centre takes a decision based on the recommendations of a committee. The central government has constituted a committee to look into the issue under the national pension scheme.
Chief minister ML Khattar stated this in a written response to an unstarred question by Independent MLA Balraj Kundu during the opening day of the monsoon session of the state assembly on Friday. The state government, the reply said, generally follows the central government with regard to pay and pension matters.
The reply said that a committee was constituted by the Centre in 2001 to study the financial liability arising from pension given to government employees. Based on the recommendations of the committee, the central government introduced defined contribution pension, now called national pension scheme (NPS) with effect from January 1, 2004, to set aside a corpus for payment of pension liabilities, which would otherwise have become a burden on the tax payer in the future under the OPS.
“Subsequently, the Haryana government adopted NPS with effect from January 1, 2006, for its employees. The fundamental principles regarding NPS continue to be the same. At present, the state government is contributing its monthly share at the rate of 14% for employees towards pension liabilities as against the employee contribution of 10%,”’ said the reply.
5,682 substandard food samples
Haryana’s food and drug administration department has found 5,682 food samples unsafe, substandard and misbranded since 2015. Nearly 3,500 people were found guilty by the courts of the chief judicial magistrate and additional deputy commissioner, leading to a penalty of ₹5.61 crore as penalty till July 2023. This was stated by health minister Anil Vij in a written reply to an unstarred question by Congress MLA Jagbir Singh Malik.
₹3,306 crore paid as insurance to farmers
In reply to an unstarred question by INLD MLA Abhay Singh Chautala regarding the extent of premium collected by insurance companies from farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) for 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2022-23 kharif and rabi seasons and the compensation provided by insurance companies for the loss of crops, agriculture minister JP Dalal said insurance companies have collected ₹979 crore as premium from farmers under PMFBY (for 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2022-23) and have paid ₹3,306 crore.
79% posts of medical officer filled
In a written reply to an unstarred question regarding shortage of doctors in the state, health minister Anil Vij said there are 3,073 government medical officers in the state against 3,903 sanctioned posts. “Of the 636 sanctioned posts of senior medical officers, 381 are filled. Additionally, 167 medical officers have been recruited through the National Health Mission against 197 sanctioned posts,” the minister replied.
Kisan Kalyan Pradhikaran
In reply to an unstarred question by Congress member Varun Chaudhary regarding the recommendations given by the Haryana Kisan Kalyan Pradhikaran since its inception and their implementation, agriculture minister JP Dalal said the Pradhikaran will take appropriate decisions after a task force of experts and working groups constituted by it to prepare the farmers welfare policy submits their reports. Dalal said the task force that has held meetings with stakeholders - scientists, researchers, officers, bankers, entrepreneurs, farmers - is at the stage of preparing a draft of the policy and is expected to submit the report soon. The working groups have held consultations with stakeholders, the minister said.
