On February 19, 2016 — three months before the Assembly polls — the then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa announced in the Assembly that an Expert Committee would be constituted to look into the demand for scrapping the Contributory Pension Scheme and implementing the old pension scheme. Two years on, the panel is yet to submit its report.
Various government employees’ associations, including the Joint Action Council of Teachers Organisations and Government Employees Organisations (JACTO-GEO), had strongly opposed the implementation of the Contributory Pension Scheme, under which an earmarked sum was to be recovered from the salary of an employee and given to him/her after his/her superannuation.
Following Jayalalithaa’s announcement in the Assembly, the Finance department constituted a five-member Expert Committee, headed by retired IAS officer Santha Sheela Nair, to examine the feasibility of implementing the demands and make suitable recommendations.
But nothing much emerged from the several sittings that the committee held to hear the views of government employees. Despite the government granting several term extensions to the committee, it has yet to finalise and submit its report.
Though JACTO-GEO recently suspended its agitation against the Contributory Pension Scheme, it is planning to resume protests next month.
“In 2016, Amma [Jayalalithaa] promised that the government would look into our demands and make a favourable decision. Though an Expert Committee was constituted, the report hasn’t come out yet. They are mechanically extending the term of the Committee,” JACTO-GEO coordinator M. Anbarasu said.
“If the Contributory Pension Scheme is going to be based on the collection of the sum that the government takes from the employees, where is the concept of pension in it?” he questioned. “The government would take money from us and then give it back to us. Is this pension?” he asked.
Committee’s response
When contacted, T.S. Sridhar, the chairperson of the Expert Committee, said, “The Committee is at it and would submit its report soon.”
Meanwhile, Tamil Maanila Congress leader G.K. Vasan gave his backing to the government employees, saying, “The State government should take constructive steps to look into their requests instead of arresting them. The government should avoid such [penal] action and should find a solution to their demands.”
