Employees rally for old pension scheme

metro india news I hyderabad

A massive public meeting, titled ‘Jana Jagarana Sabha,’ organized by the Telangana State Contributory Pension Scheme Employees Union (TSCPSEU), was held at LB Stadium at 3 p.m., with thousands of employees and teachers from across Telangana participating.

The meeting was organized on behalf of nearly 2.6 lakh employees, teachers and their families in the state who have been affected by the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) for the past 22 years. The gathering was presided over by TSCPSEU state president Gangapuram Sthitaprajna, along with state general secretary Kalvala Srikanth, state treasurer and other union leaders.

The meeting marked the culmination of the union's 41-day “Jana Jagarana Yatra,” which began on July 11 and was conducted in two phases across all 33 districts. The campaign covered all 119 Assembly constituencies, where CPS employees and teachers met local MLAs, MLCs and MPs and reminded them of the Congress party's manifesto promise to abolish CPS and restore the Old Pension Scheme.

As part of the campaign, the employees submitted representations through peaceful, Gandhian methods, urging the government to scrap CPS and bring back the Old Pension Scheme.

TSCPSEU state president Gangapuram Sthitaprajna expressed concern over the lack of social security for CPS employees and teachers. He also raised concerns over the market-linked nature of CPS pension funds, stating that employees' and the government's contributions had suffered significant losses during periods of market volatility. He said the absence of a guaranteed minimum pension, unlike under the Old Pension Scheme, was particularly distressing for retired employees. 

Sthitaprajna said the union's sustained agitations over the past 12 years had resulted in several benefits for CPS employees, including Death-cum-Retirement Gratuity (DCRG).

He urged the Telangana government to follow the example of Congress-ruled states such as Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh, which have restored the Old Pension Scheme. TSCPSEU state general secretary Kalvala Srikanth said the retirement security of CPS employees was effectively linked to the performance of the stock market. Videos featuring previous assurances on restoring the Old Pension Scheme in Telangana by Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Revanth Reddy, Bhatti Vikramarka and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, were screened at the venue.

Sthitaprajna appealed directly to the Chief Minister, recalling his earlier position on the issue. “The decision is in your hands. Restore the Old Pension Scheme for us, and we will ensure that you are elected again,” he said. The meeting concluded with renewed calls from CPS employees and teachers for the Telangana government to honor its commitment and restore the Old Pension Scheme.