Haryana

• 10 Jun 2024

Demand for Restoration of Old Pension Scheme

Why in News?

Recently, during a gathering of the Pension Bahali Sangarsh Samiti in Kaithal, it was decided to hold a large demonstration in Panchkula on 1^st September 2024 to demand for the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS).

Key Points

• Before the rally, the association has decided to hold “OPS sankalp sammelan and aakrosh march” in every district of the state, starting from 1^st July 2024.
• Old Pension Scheme:
  • The scheme guarantees a lifelong income after retirement.
  • Under the old scheme, employees get a pension under a predetermined formula which is equivalent to 50% of the last drawn salary. They also get the benefit of the revision of Dearness Relief (DR), twice a year. The payout is fixed and there was no deduction from the salary. Moreover, under the OPS, there was the provision of the General Provident Fund (GPF).
    • GPF is available only for all the government employees in India. Basically, it allows all the government employees to contribute a certain percentage of their salary to the GPF and the total amount that is accumulated throughout the employment term is paid to the employee at the time of retirement.
  • The Government bears the expenditure incurred on the pension. The scheme was discontinued in 2004.

Recruitment in Haryana to be Initiated Soon

Why in News?

Recently, Haryana Chief Minister announced that the government will soon initiate the recruitment process to fill 50,000 vacant posts in the state.

Key Points

• This will be done as part of the government's ongoing efforts to provide employment opportunities and support the aspirations of the youth.
  • He stressed on the continuation of the "transparent" recruitment system for government jobs.
• He asserted that the state government is committed to safeguarding the interests of candidates and soon present this matter to the Supreme Court and strongly advocate for it to ensure justice for the youth.
  • On May 31, 2024, the Haryana High Court ruled that the socioeconomic criteria established by the Haryana government for awarding additional marks to certain classes of candidates in state government jobs were unconstitutional.