Govt extends OPS benefits to 60k employees

Gandhinagar: The state cabinet, which met on Sunday afternoon, granted an in-principle approval to extend the benefits of the old pension scheme to 60,245 govt employees appointed on fixed pay before April 1, 2005. State govt spokesperson Rushikesh Patel said that a notification in this regard will be issued shortly. The decision will cost the state exchequer Rs 200 crore, he added.Patel said that the decision was taken after a three-member committee of ministers held several rounds of talks with employee unions over the past weeks. "The appointment orders of fixed pay employees appointed before April 1, 2005, clearly said that they were not eligible for benefits for the first five years of their service and that the period of benefits will commence after completion of five years. The govt has adopted a sympathetic approach and has decided to provide them benefits according to the old pension scheme (OPS)," Patel said.He added that these benefits will also be applicable for employees whose recruitment process was completed before April 1, 2005, but whose appointment was delayed because of administrative reasons.Patel said that employee unions also made demands to implement higher travel allowance at the time of transfer and retirement as per the 7th Pay Commission. Additionally, representations were received to provide charge allowance, currently given at 5% or 10% of the basic pay, according to the 7th Pay Commission, to revise the rates of travel and daily allowances, and to increase the amount of retirement and death gratuity. "All these demands have been given in-principle approval," Patel said.The Congress said that the state govt has been forced to announce the benefits for fixed pay employees. Party spokesperson Manish Doshi said that the Congress has been demanding that the fixed pay system should be abolished, as it amounts to financial exploitation of employees. "Govt employees are being exploited under the garb of fixed pay and contract systems," Doshi said. Gandhinagar: The state cabinet, which met on Sunday afternoon, granted an in-principle approval to extend the benefits of the old pension scheme to 60,245 govt employees appointed on fixed pay before April 1, 2005. State govt spokesperson Rushikesh Patel said that a notification in this regard will be issued shortly. The decision will cost the state exchequer Rs 200 crore, he added.Patel said that the decision was taken after a three-member committee of ministers held several rounds of talks with employee unions over the past weeks. "The appointment orders of fixed pay employees appointed before April 1, 2005, clearly said that they were not eligible for benefits for the first five years of their service and that the period of benefits will commence after completion of five years. The govt has adopted a sympathetic approach and has decided to provide them benefits according to the old pension scheme (OPS)," Patel said.He added that these benefits will also be applicable for employees whose recruitment process was completed before April 1, 2005, but whose appointment was delayed because of administrative reasons.Patel said that employee unions also made demands to implement higher travel allowance at the time of transfer and retirement as per the 7th Pay Commission. Additionally, representations were received to provide charge allowance, currently given at 5% or 10% of the basic pay, according to the 7th Pay Commission, to revise the rates of travel and daily allowances, and to increase the amount of retirement and death gratuity. "All these demands have been given in-principle approval," Patel said.The Congress said that the state govt has been forced to announce the benefits for fixed pay employees. Party spokesperson Manish Doshi said that the Congress has been demanding that the fixed pay system should be abolished, as it amounts to financial exploitation of employees. "Govt employees are being exploited under the garb of fixed pay and contract systems," Doshi said.