Describing the new pension policy as sounding the death knell to government employees, the Association of Karnataka State Government Employees coming under the new pension policy has demanded that the State government scrap the new policy and reintroduce the previous pension policy.
Addressing presspersons here on Sunday, State president of the association Birappa Chilawadagi has said that the Union government policy, which was implemented by Karnataka in 2006, takes away all basic pension facilities offered by the previous policy for government employees.
“The new policy mandates that all government employees who have joined service after 2006 opt for this policy. The policy has several factors that directly go against the interest of the employees,” he said.
Mentioning some of the key features, Mr. Chilawadagi said that in the new policy, the share of pension collected from the employees was invested in the market by the government.
As it is market-linked, the employees may not get the actual amount they deposited owing to the volatility of the share market.
“It is a terrible thing for the employees as they save their hard-earned money for the future. After serving for over three decades and saving such money, if the employees do not get any assured sum as compensation, then it would spell disaster for them,” he said.
He added that unlike in the previous policy, the new policy does not give pension amount to the direct dependents of the employee in case of his death.
“Where would the family members go, if they do not get any pension,” Mr. Chilawadagi asked.
He said that when it comes to giving salary on par with the Union government employees, the State government says that the Pay Commissions of the Union and State governments are different and that the State government cannot give higher salary. But the same government has no problem in implementing Union government policy as it help save the State government money.
“This is nothing but sheer double standards of the State government. If the State government is so keen on implementing Union Government policies, then why it does not offer State government employees salary on par with the Union government employees,” he asked.
He said that the association would soon be holding agitations across the State.
