OPS-corer: As Promised, Himachal CM Sukhu Restores Old Pension Scheme for 1.36 Lakh Employees
Himachal becomes the third Congress-ruled state to restore the OPS. It will put an additional Rs 900-crore annual burden. The Cabinet gave in-principle nod to a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500 to women aged 18-60 and creating 1 L job opportunities a yr
The newly elected Himachal government on Friday fulfilled its first electoral promise with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announcing restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) in the state. The announcement will put an additional Rs 900-crore annual burden on the already strained state coffers.
The decision is expected to benefit 1.36 lakh employees.
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The government approved the long-pending demand of the employees in its first Cabinet meeting which was held in Shimla on Friday. Himachal becomes the third Congress-ruled state to restore the OPS after Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
“We will provide the Old Pension Scheme till the last breath of your life," said Sukhu, while announcing the restoration of the OPS. “We had promised to implement the OPS in the first Cabinet and we have done it," he said.
The Cabinet also gave in-principle approval to its two other major poll promises which include a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500 to women aged 18-60 and generating one lakh job opportunities in a year. The government formed two Cabinet sub-committees to work out the modalities for the implementation of these promises. The committees will submit their report to the Cabinet within a month.
कांग्रेस की विचारधारा प्यार, भाईचारे और सच्चाई की मिसाल है। आज लोहडी के शुभ अवसर पर मुझे हिमाचल के कर्मचारियों की लंबित मांग OPS को बहाल करते हुए बहुत खुशी हो रही है। मुझे पूर्ण विश्वास है कि कर्मचारी सरकार के साथ कंधे से कंधा मिलाकर हिमाचल के विकास मे अपना पूर्ण सहयोग देंगे । pic.twitter.com/eIt2btE4wE— Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (@SukhuSukhvinder) January 13, 2023
Sukhu, while talking to the media, flayed the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for what he claims leaving the government with a Rs 11,000 crore employee liability in addition to the Rs 75,000 debt. “The previous government has left behind a financial burden of about Rs 11,000 crore on the state exchequer," said Sukhu. “Yet, we went ahead with the decision as OPS is not just about monetary benefits but about a secure, retired life and self-respect of the employees," said Sukhu.
The CM said the OPS would result in an annual burden of Rs 800-900 crore. “The burden will increase gradually, but it will be met through financial discipline and cutting down on expenses. The recent hike in VAT, too, has been done to generate resources for the OPS," he said.
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