In a U-turn over the issue of employees’ retirement age, Manohar Lal Khattar-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Haryana has decided to raise the retirement age of its employees from 58 to 60 years.

Immediately after coming to power in 2014, Khattar government had reverted the previous Bhupinder Singh Hooda led Congress government’s decision of raising the retirement age from 58 to 60 years saying that the decision was taken to ensure maximum employment opportunity to the youth.

Changing it stand on the issue, a Cabinet meeting headed by Khattar held today constituted a three-member sub-committee to study different aspects of raising the retirement age.

The committee would be chaired by Finance Minister Captain Abhimanyu while Health Minister Anil Vij and Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Krishan Kumar would be another two members of the committee that will submit its report within one month. Chief Minister Khattar said that the government might also re-employ those who have retired, but are less than 60 years of age.

The decision of increasing the retirement age of government employees from 58 to 60 years, was initially taken by the Hooda led Congress government in August 2014 just before the Assembly elections in the state.

However, the decision was reverted by the Khattar government on November 25 saying that Hooda’s government decision was only to gain political mileage just before the imposition of Model Code of Conduct of State Assembly Elections.

While in case of class IV employees and persons with disabilities, the BJP government had decided that the retirement age would be 60 years instead of 62 years.

While talking to The Statesman, Bhupinder Singh Hooda said, “Reverting our decision in 2014, was a wrong move by the BJP government in Haryana. The BJP is having dual standard over the issue as it had lowered the retirement age from 60 to 58 years, however, the other hand, in its election manifesto for Punjab, the BJP has promised to increase the retirement age of employees from 58 to 60.” Why there is

a need of a constitution of a committee to study on it, the decision of increasing the retirement age should have been taken immediately, he added.