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‘India developed with OPS…’: Ashok Gehlot responds to Montek Ahluwalia's remarks
Responding to remarks made by economist Montek Singh Ahluwalia on going back to the old pension scheme, Rajasthan CM said employees are entitled to feel secured after their around 35 years of service.
Employees cannot participate in ‘good governance’ completely if they work under a constant stress of not getting pension after their retirement, Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot said on Saturday. Responding to remarks made by economist Montek Singh Ahluwalia on going back to the old pension scheme (OPS), the chief minister said India developed for 60 years with the scheme and employees are entitled to feel secured after completing around 35 years of their service.
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“If pension is not paid to employees, they will wonder how to earn money for the entire 35 years of their service to secure themselves after retirement. This way, they will work under pressure and won't be able to participate in good governance completely,” Gehlot said.
On Friday, the former deputy chairman of Planning Commission said that going back to implementing OPS is a “recipe for financial bankruptcy”. Two Congress-led states – Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh – along with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-Congress government in Jharkhand have implemented the scheme.
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Attending an event, Ahluwalia suggested that the system must prevent both political parties and parties in power from "taking steps that will lead inevitably to a financial disaster”. He added that there would have been a greater national focus if such moves (implementing OPS) were made by the Centre.
CM Gehlot pointed out the Centre's decision to provide pension to armed forces personnel under OPS, however, excluding the paramilitary forces from the scheme. “OPS is only for Army and paramilitary is kept under NPS (new pension scheme). Why is there a discrimination?"
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Under OPS, government employees receive 50% of their last drawn basic pay along with dearness allowance or average earning in the last ten months of service, whichever is more advantageous, without making any contributions to their pensions. However under NPS, employees have to contribute 10% of their basic salary to the scheme.
