CANSSEA demands change of pension scheme in Nagaland

March 15, 2023 74 Views No Comment

Morung Express News
Kohima | March 15

Government employees of Nagaland staged a peaceful dharna at the Civil Secretariat junction Tuesday morning, demanding restoration of the old pension scheme. It was held under the banner of the Confederation of All Nagaland State Services Employees Association (CANSSEA) in Nagaland.

During the peaceful dharna, people were holding placards that read ‘NPS is fooling people’, ‘we demand scrapping of NPS’, ‘One Nation, One Pension only Old Pension Scheme’, ‘NPS is an investment to an insurance company’, ‘Constitute the 8th Central Pay Commission’, ‘annul PFRDA Act, scrap NPS’, etc.

Speaking to media personnel, CANSSEA President, Dr Ilang Iheilung said the dharna is being held across the country in tandem with the central services association with a seven-point charter of demands. However, for the state of Nagaland, he said its focus is on the National Pension Scheme (NPS) with around 40,000 employees already.

‘We are demanding that NPS has to be scrapped, which has to be done along with the central government as the state government alone cannot do it,’ he said.

The seven-point charter of demands include, scrapping of National Pension Scheme, constitution of VIII Central Pay Commission, release of all DR/DA including confiscated arrears, regularization of all contractual/daily waged employees and filling up of vacancies in state government, stop privatization of public service undertakings, removal of all riders and restrictions on compassionate employment, ensure democratic trade union rights.

According to Iheiling, the central government has passed the PFRDA Act in 2003 which is regulating the entire New Pension Scheme (NPS) system through a privatised company. Consequently, the All India Employees Association is demanding that this has to be repealed in Parliament, along with scrapping of the NPS and giving employees their due rights, i.e. the Old Pension scheme which is a ‘defined pension scheme governed by the government,’ he said.

‘With the NPS, we don’t know where the money is going and we don’t know whether we will be getting a pension or not,’ he maintained. He added that the demand of CANSSEA along with the rest of the country is that the Government of India has to scrap this Act and give them the Old Pension Scheme of ‘One Nation One Pension.’

‘This is the right of every employee and individual of his/her hard-earned money,’ said Iheilung and appealed to the state government towards repealing this Act.

It was informed that the four neighbouring states of Delhi held a dharna outside the Parliament, while four states namely Punjab, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan have already scrapped the NPS and West Bengal has never adopted the NPS system.

‘When five states are not with this, Nagaland also needs to scrap this NPS and give Old Pension Scheme to over 40,000 employees of the state. We stand firm and we will not stop until and unless the GoI repeals the Act,’ Iheilung asserted.

Meanwhile, in a representation to the Chief Secretary Nagaland, CANSSEA stated that under its confederation, the National Pension System Government Service Employees Forum (NNPSGSEF), which has a membership of over forty thousand employees demands scrapping of the state government’s National Pension Scheme (NPS) and restoration of the Old Pension Scheme for its employees.

It termed the New Pension Scheme, which was renamed as the National Pension Scheme, as ‘tyrannical, neoliberal policy and a privatised pension scheme’ and disastrous to the employees.

The state government was requested to roll back to the Old Pension Scheme like the states of Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Punjab.

‘The CANSSEA represent you with a request to scrap the NPS and restore OPS for the employees of the NNPSGSEF,’ it reiterated.