Central employees will get last chance on old pension scheme
The Central Government has issued a new system regarding Old Pension Scheme (OPS) and National Pension Scheme (NPS). The employees are going to the courts every day regarding this issue. Various central employees organizations also keep pressurizing the government every day to re-implement the old pension system in all departments.
Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State in the Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions said that after considering all relevant aspects and to reduce further litigation, an important decision has been taken. In all cases where the results of recruitment against vacancies occurring on or before 31st December 2003 were declared before 1st January 2004, the candidates declared successful for recruitment to the old pension scheme i.e. Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972 will be eligible to be covered under Meaning, such candidates working in central government departments will be given one last chance to join the old pension scheme.
It is worth mentioning that National Council-JCM Secretary Shiv Gopal Mishra and member C. Sreekumar have demanded the re-implementation of the old pension system before the Finance Ministry and DoPT officials. From January 1, 2004, NPS was implemented in all central departments except the army. Even the central paramilitary forces were taken out of the old pension system. Ranbir Singh, general secretary of the Confederation of Ex Paramilitary Forces Welfare Association, has given a memorandum to several ministers in the central government in this regard. He says that the jawans are not happy about the salary allowances in central security forces like BSF, CRPF, ITBP, SSB and CISF. The soldiers of these forces have been denied many facilities as compared to the army. One rank one pension was also given to the Indian Army, but old pension is also not being given to paramilitary forces.
Letters come to DoPT every day from various ministries of the central government regarding the old pension scheme for clarification. The matter has also reached the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court. The Minister of State, Dr. Jitendra Singh, in response to a question asked in the Rajya Sabha during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, said, the date of advertisement for vacancies or for selection relative to those vacancies, keeping in view the specific provisions of the notification dated 22 December 2003. The date of examination is not considered relevant for determining the eligibility to be covered under Old Pension Scheme or National Pension System. Candidates whose recruitment process was completed on or before 31st December 2003. The candidates were declared successful in the pre-announced results. For whatever reason their joining process is possible on or after January 1, 2004, they are covered under the National Pension System. Such candidates may now be given an option of being covered under the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972.
