Himachal Pradesh government reinstates Old Pension Scheme in first cabinet meeting

The Congress fulfilled its poll promise of restoring the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) after the Himachal Pradesh government announced to reinstate the plan in the first cabinet meeting on Friday.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the matter has been studied deeply and the officers from finance departments expressed reservations regarding the restoration of the OPS, but the issue has been settled and all the employees currently under the New Pension Scheme (NPS) will be covered under the OPS. The modalities will be chalked out in consultation with employees, he added.

"We are not restoring the Old Pension Scheme



for votes but to give social security and safeguard the self-respect of the employees who have scripted the history of Himachal's development," Sukhu said during an address to employees at the Himachal Pradesh Secretariat on Thursday.

The OPS was a major poll issue in Himachal Pradesh. The Congress had promised to restore it if the party wins the Assembly polls. The OPS, under which the entire pension amount was given by the government, was discontinued in the country on April 1, 2004.

Under the NPS, employees contribute 10 per cent of their basic salary towards their pension while the state government contributes 14 per cent.