The Rajasthan Chief Minister dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to decide on implementation of OPS (Old Age Pension) in the country by stopping New Pension Scheme (NPS) before the upcoming assembly elections in the states and next year’s Lok Sabha polls.
Claiming that his state emerges as the model state on two issues, OPS and Social Security, Gehlot said in the legislative assembly on Friday that the Rajasthan model had become a hot cake for the rest of the states, and that the Himachal government had opted for it before going to the assembly polls last year, while the employees in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Haryana were demanding in their protests.
“It is learnt that the BJP high command has made a survey and impact of OPS in Rajasthan recently, and it would be mandatory of the PM to decide on its future in the country before polls”, while replying to an Appropriation and Finance Bill-2023-24 Gehlot said.
Keeping in view the humanitarian angle of pension scheme for the state employees, and saving them from NPS’ risks like downfall of share market in which their money was invested after the Adani group of companies’ losses, all other states’ employees were putting pressure on their government for OPS which would be required for their future after retirement.
“Recently, the prime minister and finance minister have strongly objected to OPS but Rajasthan would not go on the back foot and will take up the matter to the Supreme Court as the NPS Trust is not owned by the Central government, it is employees’ money too”, Gehlot challenged.
“Can the PM bring an act to deduct one percent of MLA, MPs salary for the mutual fund and share market as it is done in case of NPS ? Even the High Court judges favoured OPS, a part of defense servants are having OPS, and other only NPS. This disparity should not go together”, Gehlot underlined.
Similarly, the Central government should bring in an act on Social Security of every citizen, he said.