Hundreds of former and current employees protested near Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s residence near Panchkula demanding restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) in the state.
The protest rally has been organised by the Pension Bachao Sangharsh Samiti (PBBS) and the protesters have gathered in Panchkula.
While speaking to media, PBBS spokesperson Praveen Deshwal said, “Around 70,000 employees have gathered today to protest. In Rajasthan, the Old Pension Scheme has been implemented. This BJP govt doesn’t talk to the employees. We will continue our peaceful protest.”
The protest rally has come days after senior Congress leader and former Haryama CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda promised to reverse the Old Pension Scheme if Congress is elected to power again in Haryana.
Meanwhile, CM Khattar has warned against the OPS saying if it is rolled back, it may bankrupt the country by 2030.
Earlier this month, citing a ‘WhatsApp’ message, Khattar said, “Yesterday I got a message on Whatsapp where a Central govt official said that if the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) is implemented then the country will go bankrupt by 2030.”
Earlier, the governments of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand informed the central government and the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) about their decision to restart the OPS for their employees.
The government of Punjab November 18, 2022, too had issued a notification regarding the implementation of the OPS for the state government employees who are presently being covered under the NPS.
In 2004, the Union government came out with the National Pension System (NPS), a defined contribution pension scheme replacing the old pension scheme.
