Govt staff donate blood to oppose NPS

Government employees registered their protest against the newly introduced National Pension Scheme (NPS), by donating blood at Mini Town Hall, Mangaluru, on Wednesday.

The unique protest, staged state-wide as part of state government employees association, received good response in all taluks.

Under the aegis of Karnataka State Government NPS Employees’ Union, Bengaluru, employees protested against the scheme by raising slogans in Kannada ‘Rakta Kottevu Pinchani Bidevu’ (We will give blood, but not sacrifice pension).

They charged that the scheme does not provide any life security to workers at the time of their superannuation.

Mangaluru unit President Chandrakanth said NPS was made applicable to those employed after 2014.

In comparison, the old scheme of pension provides much benefits to employees in their post-retirement phase. Prof Rajashekhar Hebbar, Dayananda Pai-Sathish Pai Government First Grade College Principal and College Principals’ Association Zonal President, said pension is the right of government employees. The government should address these practical issues, he added.

Delivering the keynote address, St Aloysius College Registrar A M Narahari said the government is bound to take care of its workers.

“Government schemes should ensure welfare of workers does not create panic. The interest rate on savings bank account was 12% in the 90s but now had dipped to 6%. Government employees on the verge of retirement will be left with meagre savings due to increasing expenses. In such a situation, it will be a great difficulty to manage household if they do not get pension benefits,” he explained.

Narahari, emphasising on some earnings during post retirement, said there is no guarantee that children will take care of their aged parents. “Deficit is inevitable in government budgets. However, it does not mean that government should cut down on the pension fund of its employees. Some governments had withdrawn NPS. The Karnataka government too should scrap NPS, as promised in the election manifesto, and replaced with previous pension scheme,” he stressed.

As a mark of protest, 114 state government employees donated their blood at the venue.

Union Mangaluru unit President Chandranath, secretary Sharat Bangera, Mescom Workers Union vice president Gurumurthy and AJ Hospital Quality Assurance Department Head Gopalakrishna were present.