Maharashtra: Fadnavis-Shinde government’s OPS moment

Devendra Fadnavis said he would meet all employees’ unions after the session and also seek the opinion of the lower and upper house through a special debate on the issue. File pic/Ashish Raje

The demand to revive the old pension scheme (OPS) that has become an electoral issue, continues to keep the Shinde-Fadnavis government under pressure, especially after its negative impact was felt in the recently held legislative council polls for the teachers and graduates constituencies.

The Opposition had campaigned around the government's refusal to revive the OPS. The present government has said that the previous government was of the same opinion, because of the huge impact the revival would have on state coffers and render the government broke in coming years.

However, sensing the Opposition's attempt to exploit resentment, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis had announced that thought would be given to the OPS. One of the Opposition candidates even gave up his legislator's pension and ultimately won the poll.

When the issue came up in the legislative council on Friday, finance minister Fadnavis took a positive approach to tackle the demand. He said the government wasn't negative as far the demand was concerned. But he cautioned about treasury management if the OPS was to be implemented. He also posed certain questions to the Opposition.

Also Read: Uddhav Thackeray stalled Mangeshkar music school, says Ashish Shelar

"People who were in the government for 17 years are questioning the people who are in power for 5 years. It is not all about elections, but about the state. Next year, the expenditure on salary and pension will rise to 68 per cent (of total spend). We're not at all negative, but we will have to ensure financial balance," he told the house.

Fadnavis assured of convening a day-long meeting with all employees' unions after the session and also to seek the opinion of the lower and upper house through a special debate on the issue in the coming days in the session. He said the pension problem for employees who joined after 2005 will come up only after 2025, if a parameter of 20-year service was considered for the scheme.

In the winter session in Nagpur, Fadnavis had quoted his predecessor Ajit Pawar's report in which the OPS was rejected for the burden the cash-strapped state was expected to bear. The demand in Maharashtra gained momentum after the Congress-ruled states Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh implemented the OPS and contested Assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh making it a major plank last winter. The BJP failed to retain power there even while it won Gujarat with unprecedented majority. Jharkhand and Punjab too have announced they will resume the OPS.