Ludhiana government employees protest demanding benefits of old pension scheme

The protesting employees said even after issuing the notification for implementing the old pension scheme, the government has not revealed detailed information about the pension policy

Seeking the implementation of the old pension scheme, government employees from different departments staged a protest outside the mini-secretariat near Bharat Nagar Chowk in Ludhiana on Wednesday.

Government employees protesting outside the mini-secretariat in Ludhiana on Wednesday. (Harvinder Singh/HT)

The protesting employees said even after issuing the notification for implementing the old pension scheme, the government has not revealed detailed information about the pension policy and has not amended the civil service rules.

Leading the protests, Jagjit Singh said the employees who are covered under the national pension scheme(NPS) have not been allotted the general provident fund(GPF) accounts, while the notification regarding the same was issued in November by the Punjab government.

“The Aam Aadmi Party had promised the government employees that they will receive the full benefits of the old pension scheme before the election yet we are forced to sit on the roads,” he added.

Giving details, district convener of the protesters Gurdeep Singh Cheema said a state-level rally will be staged at chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s home constituency Dhuri on February 26 to put forward our demands.

Following the central government, the state government should also give full pension benefits to the employees who remain in service for 20 years, he added.