Good News For Pensioners: This State Reinstates Old Pension Scheme, Guidelines to be Issued Soon

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Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh government on Friday reinstated the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) in the first cabinet meeting. Giving details, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said this was the biggest demand of government employees during the elections, which the Congress leaders had promised to fulfil.

Soon after winning the Himachal Pradesh Assembly election last month, Sukhu had said: “We’ve given 10 guarantees and we will implement them. We will give transparent and honest govt. We will implement OPS (Old Pension Scheme) in the first cabinet meeting.”

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Ahead of the cabinet meeting, Sukhu on Thursday had said: “We are not restoring the Old Pension Scheme for votes but to give social security and safeguard the self-respect of the employees who have scripted the history of Himachal’s development.” He was addressing state government employees at the secretariat.

“Pension provides self-respect as parents are not dependent on their children. My mother is not dependent on her children as my father’s pension takes care of her needs. The government will work towards providing a dignified life to its employees after retirement,” he said.

Sukhu said all employees currently under the New Pension Scheme (NPS) will be covered under the OPS, the modalities of which will be chalked out in consultation with employees.

“We are not restoring the Old Pension Scheme for votes but to give social security and safeguard the self-respect of the employees who have scripted the history of Himachal’s development,” Sukhu said.

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Notably, the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) was a major poll issue in Himachal Pradesh. His party in the poll manifesto had promised to restore it if the party wins the Assembly polls. The OPS, under which the entire pension amount was given by the government, was discontinued in the country on April 1, 2004.

As part of the New Pension Scheme (NPS), employees contribute 10 per cent of their basic salary towards their pension while the state government contributes 14 per cent.