'Thousands of government employees get less than Rs 1,200 monthly pension'

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: "After implementation of National Pension System (NPS) in the State, around 5,500 government teachers, officers and employees retired from government services and more than 90 per cent of them are drawing monthly pension less than Rs 1,200. This shows how insecure is the financial future of government servants under the NPS scheme after dedicating their entire service life for public interest," said All Assam Government NPS Employees' Association president Achyutananda Hazarika.

Talking to The Sentinel, Hazarika said, "Such examples make us wonder if we will be forced to take up alternative employment option in the sunset years of our life, whereas our fellow counterpart colleagues covered under the conventional Old Pension System enjoy financial immunity for the rest of their life and even after death as family pension. For a secure financial and social life for each government employee after retirement and their families, we demand immediate scrapping of NPS and giving full retirement benefits to all employees as per the Assam Services Pension Rules, 1969."

He said that a meeting was organized on October 9, 2021, by the All Assam Government NPS Employees' Association in association with Assam College Teachers' Association, which was organized by office bearers and representatives of All Assam District Administration Employees' Association, Asom Rajyik Prathomik Sikshok Sonmiloni, All Assam Heads of Department Ministerial Officers' Association, All Assam Ministerial Officers' Association, Assam College Teachers' Association, All Assam Police Employees' Association and other organizations. In the meeting, all the officials of the employees'/ teachers' association expressed grave concern over their future. A resolution was adopted in the meeting to urge the State Government to scrap NPS and restore the Old Pension scheme for all government employees, said Hazarika.

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