‘Flag march' by Punjab govt employees demanding restoration of OPS in bypoll-bound Ludhiana West on June 12
Government employees from over 50 departments in Punjab are planning a large protest called a 'flag march' in bypoll-bound Ludhiana West on Thursday, June 12. The protest, organised by the Purani Pension Bahali Sangharsh Committee (PPBSC) and the Central Provident Fund Employees Union (CPFEU), aims to demand the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for more than 2 lakh employees recruited after the implementation of the National Pension Scheme (NPS), popularly known as new pension schme, on January 1, 2004.
Organisers accuse the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab of failing to fulfil its pre-election promise to restore OPS within six months of taking office. They express frustration over government spending on advertising while neglecting employee issues. The protest is expected to include vehicle mobilisation and distribution of educational posters to raise awareness among voters ahead of the Ludhiana West Assembly bypoll on June 19.
Speaking to The Indian Express, PPBSC convener Jasvir Singh Talwara said, 'Employees from across Punjab will gather in Ludhiana West to expose the unfulfilled promises of the AAP government, even after more than three years in power.'
Sukhjeet Singh, convenor of the Punjab unit of CPFEU, said, 'Before coming to power, Bhagwant Mann's AAP had assured NPS employees that OPS would be restored within six months of forming the government. However, even after three-and-a-half years, the employees have received nothing beyond an incomplete notification.'
Both Talwara and Sukhjeet accused the government of spending crores of rupees on hollow advertising campaigns to build its image, while failing to allocate funds for restoring OPS. 'This has led to widespread anger and resentment among more than two lakh government employees in the state,' they said, adding that extensive preparations have been made to bring this issue to the public's attention through the march.
'If political roadshows are allowed, why not employee protests'
Sources reveal that officials and leaders from the ruling party have allegedly advised employees not to gather in large numbers in the poll-bound Ludhiana West constituency on June 12.
Responding to this, Talwara questioned, 'When political parties can organise roadshows, why can't we protest against the false promises made by the state government? We are being approached by authorities not to bring in more than five vehicles. Our appeal to the voters of Ludhiana West is to vote for anyone but the AAP. It is time to teach this arrogant government a lesson.'
The Ludhiana West bypoll follows the death of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Gurpreet Gogi Bassi, who died on January 10 due to an accidental discharge of a firearm at his home. The major candidates in are Sanjeev Arora (AAP), Bharat Bhushan (Congress), Parupkar Singh Ghuman (Shiromani Akali Dal), and Jiwan Gupta (Bharatiya Janata Party).
Talwara said, 'The AAP already has 93 MLAs. Winning one more will not change much for them, but losing this seat will send a strong message that they must take employee, farmer, industrial and public issues seriously.'
Ajitpal Singh Jassowal, a PPBSC member, said large-scale mobilisation of vehicles and cadre is being organised, with duties assigned at the block level. 'During the flag march, employees will also distribute posters highlighting the AAP government's betrayal and breach of trust. These are meant to educate voters and encourage them to make an informed choice,' he said.
Unfulfilled promises
The AAP promised the implementation of OPS in its 2022 Punjab election manifesto. Later, ahead of the Himachal Pradesh elections in October 2022, employee unions in Punjab threatened to protest at the Ridge in Shimla to expose the non-implementation of OPS by the AAP government in Punjabm at a time when the AAP was contesting in Himachal Pradesh.
To pacify protest plans, the Punjab government made a verbal announcement of OPS implementation just ahead of the Shimla protest. A formal notification followed on November 18, 2022, shortly before Punjab employee unions planned a four-day protest in Gujarat, also a poll-bound state then, to expose the AAP's inaction. Both protests were postponed after this, but as of now, OPS still has not been implemented.
'Unlike Himachal Pradesh, where OPS was implemented after the Congress government came to power in December 2022, Punjab continues to 'study the possibilities',' said Talwara.
'Now, they are asking us to switch to the unified pension scheme, but our demand is for full implementation of OPS.'
Sukhjeet explained the technical differences between the two pension schmes and said, 'Under OPS, employees used to contribute to the General Provident Fund (GPF) up to 50 per cent of their salary, with a minimum of Rs 2,000 per month. This money was retained by the state government, and the scheme provided a fixed, lifelong monthly pension—50 per cent of the last drawn salary—adjusted for inflation through dearness allowance (DA).'
In contrast, he said, under NPS, 10 per cent of the basic salary is deducted from the employee, and the government contributes 14 per cent. 'This corpus is then invested through the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), which comes under the Centre. Upon retirement, 60 per cent of the corpus can be withdrawn, while the remaining 40 per cent is converted into a monthly pension payout.'
Union members assert that the pension from NPS is far less than that from OPS and not lifelong.
Leaders such as Ranbir Singh Uppal, Lakhwinder Singh Bhaur, Karamjit Singh Tamkot, Jaswinder Singh Jassa, Jagseer Singh Sahota, Varinder Vicky, and Bikramjit Singh Kaddon have been holding meetings at various locations to mobilise employees and finalise arrangements for the June 12 march.
As Ludhiana West prepares to go to polls on June 19, all eyes will be on the show of strength by Punjab's government employees, and whether their collective voice leads to a renewed push for restoring OPS.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
2 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Dalai Lama may name reincarnation on July 2
BENGALURU: Tibetan spiritual leader the 14th Dalai Lama will make an important announcement, most likely on his reincarnation, on July 2, four days before he turns 90 on July 6. Speaking to TNIE, Sikyong (President), Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), Penpa Tsering said the Dalai Lama will make an 'important announcement on July 2. It is likely to be about his reincarnation'. Dalai Lama is scheduled to meet senior leaders of the four Buddhist sects -- Sakya, Kagyu, Nyingma and Gelug -- between July 2 and 4 at Dharamshala, the headquarters of CTA. While Dalai Lama's reincarnation is the most anticipated decision keenly awaited not only by Tibetans but people in the Himalayan region, from Lhasa to Arunachal Pradesh, who look up to him as their spiritual guide, it is heavily contested by the People's Republic of China (PRC), which sees Dalai Lama as a separatist leader and a symbol of Tibetan resistance. In March 2011, the Dalai Lama relinquished his role as the political head of Tibetans in exile and handed it over to the democratically elected CTA. He had said his successor, male or female, will be born in a free world, in a clear message to PRC on its long-standing claim on having the sole right to choose the next Dalai Lama.
Hans India
2 hours ago
- Hans India
Sisodia grilled for 3 hours by ACB
New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia was on Friday questioned for nearly three hours by the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) over an alleged multi-crore rupee classroom scam. The former deputy chief minister left the ACB office around 2.40 p.m. after appearing before investigators around noon. While a defiant Sisodia lashed out at the BJP for allegedly misusing investigative agencies for political vendetta, the ACB said that the scam involved inflated costs in the construction of classrooms and school buildings under the Delhi government. An official ACB statement said, 'The case is registered under Section 13(1) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, along with IPC Sections 409 and 120B (dealing with criminal breach of trust and conspiracy).' 'Manish Sisodia was questioned in the presence of an independent witness, and his statements were recorded. Further investigation is currently underway,' said the ACB. Earlier this month, the ACB issued summonses to Sisodia and former Health Minister Satyendar Jain. Jain appeared before investigators on June 6. The summonses were linked to a First Information Report (FIR) registered by the ACB on April 30, alleging irregularities in the construction of 12,748 classrooms or semi-permanent structures in government schools. According to the ACB, the alleged scam involved awarding contracts at inflated prices, each classroom reportedly costing Rs 24.86 lakh, nearly five times the standard cost. Investigators claimed the contracts were given to 34 contractors, many of whom had links to the AAP. Further allegations include that the semi-permanent structures (SPS), designed to last around 30 years, were priced similarly to more durable Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) buildings, which typically have a lifespan of 75 years. The ACB also noted that an additional Rs 326 crore was added to the project cost without fresh tenders. The AAP has consistently dismissed the allegations as politically motivated. The ED, Delhi Zonal Office conducted search operations at 37 locations across the national Capital under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 in the Delhi classroom construction irregularities case and recovered digital evidence and 322 bank passbooks linked to mule accounts opened in the names of labourers, allegedly to divert government funds
Hans India
2 hours ago
- Hans India
Cabin crew sacking: Trouble brews for Air India amid CBI probe demand
New Delhi: Air India, currently reeling under the devastating AI 171 Boeing 787 Dreamliner crash that killed at least 270 people, including 241 passengers and crew members, on Friday faced more heat as the Aviation Industry Employees' Guild (AIEG) demanded a CBI probe into the sacking of two cabin crew members by the airline for reporting a technical fault in the aircraft last year. AIEG General Secretary, George Abraham, told IANS that they have demanded a CBI probe into the sacking of two cabin crew members, as this move, after pressure on them by Air India to change their statements after reporting a technical fault in the Dreamliner 787 aircraft, is a very serious matter. "This poses a threat to the safety of the aviation sector. We have also written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a fair probe into the matter," Abraham said. He further stated that on May 14, 2024, after the Air India flight from Mumbai to London reached its destination, the slide rafts opened in manual mode due to a technical fault in the door of the aircraft. According to Abraham, the slide rafts are activated only when the plane is in automatic mode. The pilot and the entire cabin crew had also admitted the technical fault in the plane in their initial statements, but due to alleged pressure from the airline's management, the statement was later changed. Abraham said that to suppress the technical fault in the plane, the Air India management allegedly pressured these people to change their statement, and when they refused, both these crew members were fired from their jobs. Speaking to IANS, Abraham further said that due to the seriousness of the matter, both these crew complained about the matter to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the regulator called them to Delhi and heard the whole matter and talked about conducting an "informal investigation". However, eight months have passed, but no result of the "informal investigation" has come out, he noted. According to Abraham, after the deadly Ahmedabad plane crash, the attention of the government and the people is back on this issue. "This is why we have raised it once again and written a letter to PM Modi. We hope that this investigation will be expedited," he said. In a statement to IANS, the airline on Friday said that the "said cabin crew members were terminated for their misconduct and behaviour and continuing to falsify critical information during the course of an investigation". "The said investigation was launched after an emergency slide was activated while opening the aircraft door post landing," said Air India. Slide rafts deploy when a door is opened in "armed" or "automatic mode". The crew alleged the Dreamliner's door had malfunctioned as the slide raft deployed, though the door was opened in the "manual mode". The incident is reported to have occurred on May 14 last year, after the Mumbai-London flight AI-129 docked at Heathrow airport and the passengers disembarked. The two former senior cabin crew members have written to PM Modi, alleging they were wrongfully terminated last year after raising an alarm over technical issues in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
