‘Revive old pension scheme as promised in DMK’s poll manifesto’

TIRUNELVELI

Condemning the DMK Government for not reviving the old pension scheme as promised in the party’s poll manifesto, government employees and teachers staged a demonstration in front of the district collectorate here on Thursday.

 The protestors raised slogans demanding the restoration of the old pension scheme after trashing the present contributory pension scheme. Since the DMK, in its election manifesto and during the electioneering, promised the government employees and the teachers that it would revive the old pension scheme if elected to power, the party and its electoral allies enjoyed overwhelming support of these two vital sections of the society in the last Assembly polls.

 Even though the DMK had returned to power with an absolute majority with the support of the government employees and the teachers, Mr. Stalin was reluctant of fulfilling his poll promise he made even when he visited the districts to organize ‘Ungal Thoguthiyil Stalin’ events.

 “This is nothing but betrayal of the government employees and the teachers who always backed the DMK in the elections. If this vital demand is not fulfilled, the DMK will have to reap the benefits of losing the support of government employees and the teachers in the 2024 Parliamentary elections,” speakers in the demonstration warned.

 The protestors also said the indefinitely frozen Dearness Allowance and leave surrender facilities should be implemented without further delay. Since the recent announcement on DA hike had abandoned the arrears to be given to the government employees and the teachers for six months, it should also be included. The salary anomalies of the postgraduate and the middle school teachers should be weeded out.

 Timescale should be given to the nutritious meal scheme, anganvadi, daily wages teachers, village assistants, rural librarians etc. The suspended period of 41 months of the road workers should be regularised, the protestors said.

 Similar agitations were organized in front of the district collectorates of Tenkasi, Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari districts in which a few hundred protestors participated.