JOIN USThe National Pension Scheme (NPS) Employees’ Association members have threatened to stage a fast unto death if the government fails to scrap the NPS.
Nagana Gowda, the NPS Government Employees’ Association state general secretary, warned that the fast will be undertaken at the Freedom Park in Bengaluru.
He was speaking at the NPS Employees’ District Convention and the 12th executive committee meeting organised by the State Government NPS Employees’ Association in Mangaluru.
“NPS will be a death knell for the state government employees, who will come to the streets due to NPS. There is a need to oppose the NPS till the end. Our fight is not against the government, but we are demanding our rights,” he clarified. He also urged the state government to scrap the NPS and introduce the old pension scheme for its employees.
MLC S L Bhoje Gowda said, “In a democratic setup, MLAs, MLCs and MPs get pension after retirement. Why is such pension not made available to government employees who serve the government throughout their lives? There is a need to introspect on the NPS, as pension is a right of the employees.”
Bhoje Gowda promised to arrange a meeting of NPS employees with the chief minister within 15 days.
MLC Ivan D’Souza termed the NPS as a bogus and expressed support to the demand to scrap the NPS. “The government should consider the demand of the employees seriously. I will raise the dissatisfaction regarding the NPS during the upcoming winter session,” he assured.
MLC Ayanooru Manjunath too promised to raise the voice of the NPS employees in the session.
MLA D Vedavyas Kamath was present.
The NPS employees took out a jatha from the Government Employees’ Association Hall till the SCDCC Hall in the city, putting across the demand to scrap the NPS.