Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda lashed out at the unified pension scheme of the Centre as “anti-employee” and a “bigger fraud” compared with the New Pension Scheme. He promised that if the Congress came to power in Haryana, after the October 1 assembly elections, it will restore the Old Pension Scheme in the state.
The former Haryana chief minister said it was ridiculous for the BJP government to approve the UPS when the state has already been able to provide dignity, social security, and a respectful life to all its employees. Speaking at a function in Jhajjar, where he felicitated Olympic bronze medalist wrestler Aman Sehrawat, Hooda also iterated his old demand to fully implement the 5th Pay Commission report for employees of Autonomous Bodies, Boards, Corporations, Boards and Corporation of various Corporations of the Haryana Government. The UPS, which was approved by the Union Cabinet on August.
Hooda contended that the UPS was also anti-government employees, more so against the interests of the paramilitary forces who retire in less than 25 years. “Many early retirees will have to suffer huge losses under the UPS, with some even getting as meager a pension as Rs 10,000,” he said.
He also attacked the withdrawal of DA from the base for calculating pension under UPS, saying that this would, in effect, reduce the amount of pension by half over a period of time.
He pointed out that all employees of the country, including Haryana, have been insisting that the workmanship be brought back through which 50% of the last drawn basic pay had been ensured as pension without any contribution being made by the employees. On the other hand, UPS is contributory where 10% of the basic pay and DA is taken from the employees and 18.5% by the employer.
As Hooda makes these statements, there is increased resentment building up among the cadre of government employees on the pension reforms that are, effectively, becoming a populist stand for the Congress party ahead of the Haryana elections.
