More than 91 lakh government employees not only in Madhya Pradesh but in the entire country have united to get the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) implemented again. This movement has started with the All India NPS Employees Federation (AINPSEF) and has started gaining the attention in different sectors and regions of the employees to fight for their rights together. The main concern is the abolishment of New Pension Scheme (NPS) and returning to OPS which helps to ensure a fixed pension for employees.
Historic Rally at Jantar Mantar
On 17th November, 2024, a large rally was organized in Jantar Mantar, Delhi in which thousands of employees from across the country participated. Employee representatives from central, state and union territories had been actively involved and more than five lakh members of AINPSEF had supported the examination. It was a direct message to the government on how the future of workforce needs to be protected, especially in matters concerning their retirement benefits.
Anxieties for Economic Safety
The current NPS has some serious shortcomings, one of the most critical of which is financial insecurity, according to the employees. This obviously caused a lot of anxiety among the employees as compared to OPS which is secured after retirement, the proposed NPS had a very low yield. Also, the 10% salary cut under the NPS has also been an issue of debate with employees calling for a reversal of the policy.
A Call for Social Justice
The workers have also raised a concern on different pensions that elected officials receive than that of ordinary employees who spend their working careers in public service. It is not only a question of job protection as people who worked their entire lives to protect this or that country should be protected as well.
Appeal to Prime Minister Modi
More than 40 leading employee organizations in the Tamil Nadu state have appealed to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to raise the question of OPS restoration in the Parliament, stressing on the call for action to protect the interests of the government employees.
Future of the Movement
If the government won’t act, employees said that they will step up the movement by organizing more protests across the country. They still expect the government may look at OPS as the concern not only of the financial question but of social fairness and stability of the future generations.
