Staff reporter
Guwahati: The All Assam Government NPS Employees Association (AAGNPSEA) is miffed at the budget announcement on the restoration of OPS only for employees whose recruitment process began before February 1, 2005.
AAGNPSEA president Achyutananda Hazarika said, “In the budget, although a few big announcements were made, the vital point on the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) was not included. We thought the government may include welfare issues at the time of implementation of the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) in the state, like linking with the Pay Commission Report, payment of Death-cum-Retirement Gratuity, continuation of Compensatory Family Pension, and return of contribution from the employees’ part, which were not addressed. Also, it was expected that the OPS should be accorded to those teachers and employees of schools and colleges that were provincialized in 2013, as per the minutes of the meeting with Sadou Asam Karmachari Parishad (SAKP) with CM Assam, but they were not included in the budget speech.”
“Additionally, for at least a few lakh of expenditure on medical treatment, it should also be cashless for any hospital under Mukhya Mantri Loksevak Arogya Yojana (MMLSY), but this is also absent. We request the government to hold a detailed discussion with stakeholders for greater interest of the government workforce,” Hazarika said.
“To press our demands once again, we will stage a statewide strike on March 24, 2025, and launch the ‘March to Dispur’ movement as a form of protest. On that day, all government employees and teachers, with the support of their respective organizations and associations, will observe the strike across the state and later gather at Sachal, Guwahati, to implement the ‘March to Dispur’ protest,” Hazarika.
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