Govt studying implications of old pension scheme: Himachal CM Jai Ram Thakur

Una, SEPTEMBER 11

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur today said the employees’ demand of reviving the old pension scheme (OPS) was a vexed issue and the government was studying its implications.

Questions Cong intent

If the Congress is in favour of the OPS, why the scheme was stopped when their own party was in power and what stopped the Congress from reviving the scheme during their tenure from 2013 to 2017. — ai Ram Thakur, CM

Responding to a question while addressing media persons here, he said the employees were justified in raising their demands but most of these had already been addressed.

The Chief Minister said the Opposition was politicising the issue, but the fact was that 20 years ago, when Virbhadra Singh was the Chief Minister, the state had entered into an agreement with the Centre to do away with the OPS and introduce the New Pension Scheme.

He questioned if the Congress was in favour of the OPS, why the scheme was stopped when their own party was in power and what stopped the Congress from reviving the scheme during their last tenure from 2013 to 2017.

Jai Ram said the OPS was in place in Congress-ruled states of Chhattisgath and Rajasthan, but the two Chief Ministers, during a recent meeting of the CMs in Delhi, had admitted that they were not able to implement the scheme in its true spirit.

The CM said the Congress was going through its worst phase, both at the Centre and in states. Taking a dig at the Opposition, he said some leaders had opposed the bulk drug park when a proposal was sent to the Centre for sanctioning one such park in the Haroli segment. The vested interests had approached the High Court, stating that the park would be a danger to the flora and fauna in the region.

Jai Ram said the approval for the park had now been received from the Centre and an investment of Rs 50,000 crore was expected, adding that 30,000 persons would get jobs.

Mega projects like AIIMS at Bilaspur, PGI centre and IIIT in Una and buildings of three medical colleges at Chamba, Hamirpur and Nahan were almost ready for inauguration.

Besides, the welfare schemes like HimCare, Grahini Suvidha and Sahara were launched. The BJP would go to the masses on the issues of development and public welfare.

He added that this time, the precedent of the BJP and the Congress coming to power alternately would be broken. The CM said the Congress regimes were marred with unplanned haphazard development based on announcements and no real planning was done on the paper.

Rural Development Minister Virender Kanwar, chairman of the State Finance Commission Satpal Satti, HPSIDC vice-chairman Ram Kumar and Chintpurni MLA Balbir Singh were also present.

On the Congress allegations that public funds were being misused in the name of functions organised to mark the 75th year of the formation of Himachal Pradesh, he said, “We are showcasing the history of the state and its development during the last 75 years without being prejudiced to the development activities undertaken during the Congress regimes.”