
No plan to restore Old Pension Scheme: Govt
Replying to a question raised by Congress MLA Sena Patel during Question Hour, Dewda said state employees appointed after 2005 would continue to receive retirement benefits under the New Pension Scheme (NPS).
There was no proposal under the consideration of the state govt to restore the OPS, he said.
In her supplementary question, Patel asked that the pension under NPS was market-based and the govt should reconsider reverting to the OPS to ensure financial security of its employees after they retire from jobs.
She further said several states, including Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Punjab, were going back to the OPS, but Dewda maintained that he had made it clear in his written reply that no proposal to restore OPS was under the consideration.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New Indian Express
2 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Kanwar Yatra turns tragic: Four pilgrims die in stampede amid uncontrolled influx of devotees
BHOPAL: At least four devotees from Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Chhattisgarh have died in the past two days during the massive Kanwar Yatra at Kubereshwar Dham in Madhya Pradesh's Sehore district, as authorities struggled to manage the overwhelming influx of pilgrims. The victims include Jaswanti Ben (56) from Rajkot, Gujarat, and Sangita Gupta from Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh, who reportedly died in a stampede on Tuesday, just hours before the main procession led by religious preacher Pradip Mishra began at midnight. The same day, two more devotees—Chatur Singh (50) from Gujarat and Ishwar Singh (65) from Rohtak, Haryana, collapsed and died, likely due to heart complications after being trapped in suffocating crowds amid humid weather. The fatalities occurred as over 2.5 lakh devotees from across India descended upon the religious site, overwhelming infrastructure and leading to a complete breakdown of basic amenities, including drinking water, food, and sanitation. Traffic chaos compounded the crisis, with the Indore-Bhopal Highway gridlocked since Tuesday night, leaving vehicles stranded for hours. Despite official restrictions on heavy vehicles and alternate routes, enforcement was either poorly executed or ignored entirely. Madhya Pradesh cabinet minister Govind Rajput acknowledged the lack of preparedness, stating, 'Such a massive crowd wasn't expected, which has actually led the system to fall short. I urge the administration to take control and ensure that such a tragedy doesn't repeat.' Meanwhile, former MP minister and Congress MLA Rajendra Singh questioned accountability, asking, 'Who will take the responsibility for the deaths which happened at the Kubereshwar Dham in the last two days? Will the authorities or those associated with the religious event, who is to be held responsible for it?' The incident has raised serious concerns over crowd management at large religious gatherings, with calls for stricter safety measures to prevent further tragedies.


Indian Express
2 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Congress wants VVPATs, warns of court route in ward demarcation not transparent
Demanding the use of VVPAT machines in local body polls and transparency in the exercise of demarcation of ward boundaries, opposition Congress on Wednesday targeted the State Election commission and state government. 'The state election commissioner clarified that there will be no VVPAT machines in the upcoming local body elections in the state. The reason given for this is that there will be more candidates in one ward, voters will have to cast four votes at a time, so the process will take time and there is a possibility of crowding at the polling station. But VVPAT is necessary for the elections to be held in a transparent manner. Voters should know who they voted for,' said Congress legislative leader Vijay Wadettiwar. He demanded that local body elections in the state should not be held without VVPAT machines. 'If these machines are not available, elections should be held on ballot papers,' he said. While Wadettiwar targeted the SEC, Congress state chief Harshvardhan Sapkal wrote to the state's Urban Development Department and Rural Development department, which are currently engaged in the exercise of demarcation of wards. In his letter, Sapkal said, 'The work of demarcation of ward boundaries is currently undergoing. It is important to ensure that no political interference is entertained in this process…it is important that the staff working in this process should not be subjected to political pressure and the work takes place as per the rules.' Sapkal mentioned that the party will be forced to approach the courts if the department fails to ensure transparency in the process. 'It will be the sole responsibility of the State government if that happens,' he said. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Anil Desai on Wednesday also urged the Election Commission to conduct Maharashtra's upcoming local body elections using ballot papers, citing the absence of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines. In a letter to the EC, Desai argued that without VVPATs, the transparency and credibility of the election process are compromised. He stated that free and fair elections are not possible without allowing voters to verify their votes, and questioned how voters could be confident in the system without a verifiable paper trail. Desai also pointed out that in several other states, local body polls are conducted using ballot papers, and Maharashtra should follow suit. He criticised the EC for failing to address concerns raised after the previous assembly elections, and reiterated that voters have the right to know where their vote has been cast.


New Indian Express
25 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
'Economic blackmail, unjust': Congress slams Trump's 50 per cent tariff on India
NEW DELHI: After the imposition of an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods entering the US, the Congress on Wednesday called the action "unjust" and "economic blackmail" aimed at bullying India into an unfair trade deal, even as it hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying his "personalised" and "headline-grabbing style of huglomacy" has been an "abysmal failure." The opposition party also sought a comprehensive reset of India's foreign policy and administration. The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, said, "(Donald) Trump's 50 per cent tariff is economic blackmail -- an attempt to bully India into an unfair trade deal." "PM Modi better not let his weakness override the interests of the Indian people," Gandhi said in a post on X.