Members of the Tamil Nadu Government All Department Retired Employees Association, Vellore taluk, have demanded withdrawal of the New Pension Scheme for government employees as it had zero benefits. Staging a demonstration on Thursday, the association members said persons who had joined government service after 2003 were covered under the new pension scheme.
“According to the scheme, an amount deducted from the salary and the government’s equal share is deposited in mutual fund. Since 2003, Rs. 6,000 crore has been deducted from salaries but not invested in any mutual fund. The scheme has no benefits and should be scrapped,” N. Krishnamurthy, president of the association’s Vellore Taluk unit said. He said that about two lakh posts were lying vacant in various posts across all departments in the State government and demanded that they be filled up.
The association wanted the government to grant medical allowance of Rs. 1,000 every month. Persons who have retired from the nutritious meal scheme, anganwadi, village revenue posts, local body assistants and forest guards should be granted the minimum basic pension of Rs. 3,050.
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Senior citizens should be provided with free bus passes. Like the Central government, the State government too should include the grade pay in the pension for those who retired prior to January 1, 2006. The health insurance scheme amount should be increased to Rs. 4,00,000, the association demanded.