Pensioners stage protest in Shimla, demand restoration of OPS and pension revision
Pensioners stage protest in Shimla, demand restoration of OPS and pension revision
Shimla, Sept 21,
Pensioners from various departments and public sector organisations staged a protest outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office here on Monday, raising a 11-point charter of demands, including restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), pension revision and release of pending dearness allowance.
The protest was organised by the Centre and State Pensioners Joint Front, Himachal Pradesh, affiliated with the National Coordination Committee of Pensioners Associations (NCCPA), as part of the second phase of its nationwide agitation. The demonstration was chaired by Front president Bharat Bhushan.
Pensioners from the Postal Department, Accountant General’s office, HPSEB, BSNL, EPFO, banks, LIC, paramilitary forces and autonomous bodies participated in the protest.
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Carrying placards, the protesters raised slogans including “Scrap NPS/UPS, Restore OPS,” “Pension Updation for Bank Pensioners,” “Autonomous Body Pensioners Under CPC & CGHS” and demanded amendment of the terms of reference of the Eighth Pay Commission.
The protesters demanded restoration of OPS in place of NPS/UPS, an Eighth Pay Commission with a uniform fitment factor for pensioners, release of 18 months’ withheld DA/DR and pension revision for BSNL/MTNL employees from January 1, 2017.
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Other demands included pension updation for bank and autonomous-body pensioners, implementation of the Parliamentary Committee’s recommendations on additional pension from the age of 65 years and increase in Fixed Medical Allowance to Rs 3,000, opening of CGHS wellness centres in all districts and restoration of commuted pension after 12 years.
They also demanded benefits under Option-I and notional increment and removal of anomalies in the Modified Assured Career Progression (MACP) scheme.
General secretary Jagmohan Thakur said that if the demands were not addressed, pensioners would participate in a Parliament march in New Delhi on November 25.
The protest was also addressed by ND Sharma, Kailash Sharma (Postal), Sunder Jishtu, Liaq Ram Thakur (HPSEB), Abhimanyu Khosla (Bank), Surinder Singh (LIC) and Bharat Bhushan Sharma (AG, HP).
The pensioners also criticised what they described as the division of pensioners into different categories through recent legislative provisions and demanded uniform treatment of pensioners.
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