Raj Govt’s OPS faces Centre-State tussle over funds

Jaipur: Implementing its flagship ‘old pension scheme’ (OPS) could leave the state coffers poorer by a whopping Rs 39,000 cr as it will have to return employees’ and state govt’s share deposited in PF. Despite the state govt having issued a notification to this effect on May 19, uncertainty prevails over the fate of scheme among the state govt employees. In a letter by CS Usha Sharma to the central finance secy, it was contended that the state govt had issued a notification to implement the OPS for employees who joined after January 1, 2004. It was also requested that the funds maintained in Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) should be returned to the state govt. There was no response from Union Government.

Earlier, when state govt had written to PFRDA on April 21 asking them same, the PFRDA made it clear that there was no provision for returning the said amount to the state govt under the PFRDA Act 2013 and Regulation 2015. Raj State Employees’ Union has made the strategy to launch a nationwide movement to demand withdrawal of the PFRDA Bill in Parliament. The union wants the old pension scheme to continue in place of the national pension scheme. The employees’ union maintains that the fate of the OPS remains uncertain in the event of a change of guard in the state. Notably, the Gehlot govt had made an announcement in budget.