Notwithstanding the sops announced to pensioners to placate government employees, Himachal Pradesh New Pension Scheme Employees Association (NPSEA) will carry out a 9-day long padyatra to seek restoration of the Old Pension Scheme.
The padyatra will start from Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur’s home district Mandi on 23 February when the budget session of state assembly will be convened.
NPSEA press secretary Ajay Banyal said the padyatra will start on 23 February and reach Shimla on 3 March after which around 1 lakh government employees will stage a protest at the state assembly.
“The protest will continue till the state government agrees to our demand of restoring the old pension scheme.
The state government during the assembly session at the Dharamshala had announced to constitute a committee to resolve our grievances but no concrete steps have been taken so far in this direction,” he added.
He stated that the government employees serve the state for more than 25 years but still they weren’t eligible for the old pension scheme. But the elected representatives become eligible for pension and if they find the New Pension Scheme so lucrative and beneficial, they should also opt for it.
The NPSEA will spread awareness among the masses on discrepancies in the new pension scheme through media and government employees from across the state will participate in the padyatra and protests.
The demand for restoring the old pension will also be an election issue and the government employees will only favour the party during assembly elections scheduled to be held in the last quarter of this year which promise these benefits, he added.