Multitude of employees rock the streets of Guwahati in demand of OPS & scrapping of NPS

way2barak, Nov.8: A large number of protesters reached Guwahati’s Khanapara field on November 8 demanding the removal of the National Pension System (NPS) and the restoration of Old Pension Scheme (OPS). At the call of the All Assam Government NPS Employees’ Association (AAGNPSEA), state government employees along with provincialised college teachers participated in large numbers raising slogans in support of restoration of OPS.

As per reports, Assam has around five lakh government employees, out of which around 2.4 lakh are under the New Pension Scheme (NPS). More than 50,000 protestors had assembled at the Veterinary College Field in Khanapara area of the city for a nearly five- kilometre- long march towards Dispur, the seat of power, where they were prohibited by the law enforcing authority to proceed further.

Participating in the protest march, Himangshu Maral, President of Assam College Teachers’ Association (ACTA) said, “We are certain from various instances that the NPS has failed to secure the future of the employees. Govt is our guardian. After serving for entire life, if we are to get a very poor amount as pension in our retired life, then where shall we go? We have therefore come here to appeal to the govt to scrap NPS and restore NPS. This struggle is not against anybody, rather this is against NPS.”

AAGNPSEA President Achyutananda Hazarika told, “We did not want to cause any law and order situation as we are government employees. Hence, we decided to abide by the instruction of the authorities this time. But if our demand is not fulfilled, we will have to resort to more intensified protest.”

The AAGNPSEA president said leaders of the National OPS Restoration United Forum, and from employees’ association of Telangana, Jammu and Kashmir, Chattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh also participated in the protest.

Since its introduction, employees of all government sectors have been protesting to scrap the national pension scheme and restoration of the old pension scheme. It is with this aim of restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), that the Assam Government NPS Employees’ Union was established. Since the NPS covers employees recruited after 1 January 2004 and the age of retirement is 60, most employees are yet to avail the new pension. But a few are retiring now and as per the NPS regime they can withdraw 60% of their pension contribution in bulk and out of the remaining 40% they get barely an average of ₹700 and ₹800 every month as annuity after remitting 10% of their salary for 15 years! So the paltriness of the NPS scheme is gradually dawning upon them and so the anger mounts. As such, reverting to the old pension scheme was voiced in a strong way today in Assam.