Karnataka Government Employees Association urges CM to implement old pension scheme

Karnataka State Government Employees Association urges Chief Minister for old pension scheme implementation and health insurance for employees.

Newly-elected office-bearers of the Karnataka State Government Employees Association led by its president C.S. Shadakshari called on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday (December 31, 2024) and urged him to take steps for implementation of the old pension scheme (OPS) for government employees.

The association has urged the chief minister to get a report from a committee headed by the additional chief secretary which has been looking into the matter, on the implementation of the OPS.

In Karnataka, about 2.78 lakh employees who joined work after April 1, 2006, under the NPS, besides a large number of those working in government-aided institutions, autonomous bodies, boards and corporations under the NPS, are seeking a rollback to the OPS. Several states including Rajasthan, Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh have exited the NPS and returned to OPS.

The Congress had promised to look into the rolling back of new pension scheme (NPS) to OPS ahead of the Assembly elections in 2023.

In a press release, KSGEA said that Mr. Siddaramaiah positively responded to the demand on OPS. The KSGEA also urged the chief minister to implement a cashless Karnataka Rajya Arogya Sanjeevini Yojane, a health insurance scheme, for the government employees and their dependents as early as possible.