In major relief, Punjab govt notifies implementation of Old Pension Scheme for nearly 2,500 employees

Indian Express

24-05-2025

In a huge relief to nearly 2,500 government employees in Punjab, the state government Friday issued a notification implementing the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for employees whose posts were advertised or appointment letters were issued before January 1, 2004, but who had joined the service later. These employees were earlier covered under the New Pension Scheme (NPS) despite their pre-2004 recruitment process, prompting them to seek judicial intervention.
The notification, dated May 23, 2025, follows a Punjab and Haryana High Court directive, bringing to a close a long legal battle fought by the affected employees. Many of them have already completed more than 20 years in service. The employees are from various departments, including the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), education, local bodies, and others.
According to the amended rules under the Punjab Civil Services Rules, Volume II, OPS will now apply to employees who joined after January 1, 2004, provided their posts were advertised or appointment letters were issued before that date. Employees appointed on compassionate grounds after January 1, 2004, will also be covered under OPS if the request for appointment and eligibility conditions were fulfilled before January 1, 2004.
Eligible employees will be given the option to choose between OPS and the New Defined Contributory Pension Scheme (NPS). If no option is exercised within three months from the notification date, they will be deemed to have opted for NPS.
Jasvir Talwara, convenor of the Purani Pension Bahali Sangharsh Committee, welcomed the decision and termed it a victory for justice. 'These employees were unfairly placed under NPS despite having fulfilled all conditions for OPS. The May 23 notification is a big win for them,' he said.
Talwara added that the government must now act swiftly to comply with the high court's direction to open General Provident Fund (GPF) accounts for the 2,500 employees by May 28, 2025, so the implementation process of OPS can begin.
However, he also raised concerns that around 2 lakh other employees, who joined service after January 1, 2004, continue to be excluded from OPS despite promises made by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) before the 2022 Assembly polls. 'The government issued a notification in November 2022 promising OPS for all, but implementation has not happened. Instead, AAP ministers are now urging us to consider the Unified Pension Scheme introduced by the Centre last year, which we reject,' Talwara said.
While Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann recently reiterated the implementation of OPS for employees with pre-2004 appointments, he made no mention of the larger group of post-2004 employees still awaiting relief.
The OPS notification for the 2,500 employees marks a partial fulfilment of the government's commitment, but the larger demand for a complete rollback of NPS remains unresolved, said Rajat Mahajan, president of the Purani Pension Bahali Sangharsh Committee.
In the first week of May, the committee members highlighted the case of Sarwan Singh who retired as a drawing teacher on July 31, 2021, under NPS. Singh now gets a pension of just Rs 4,520 per month and earns a living by setting up a burger stall in Hoshiarpur's Dasuya. It is just the tip of the iceberg, said Mahajan. The committee urged the Punjab government to remember the promises it made in 2022 before coming to power.