Will restore monthly pension system if SP comes to power: Akhilesh

LUCKNOW, Jan 20:
In a bid to woo more than 10 lakh Government employees and teachers ahead of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Samajwadi Party’s (SP) National President Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday announced to restore the monthly pension system if his party comes to power in the state.
Besides this, he also announced that he would implement cashless treatment and restart the Yash Bharati award, which was given to prominent personalities from different fields every year during the SP regime.
At a press conference organised at the party headquarters here, Akhilesh said, “To ensure financial support, respect and social security to the employees and teachers post retirement we have decided to restore the monthly pension scheme when the SP comes to power in UP. It will give a big relief to the Government employees.”
“I have discussed the issue with the employees and teachers organisations and financial experts. A corpus will be created to the monthly pension to the employees. We are capable of doing this,” he added. Akhilesh said that in 2004 the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government made a rule that employees appointed after 2005 will not get a monthly pension. “In it’s place a consolidated amount is being given at the time of retirement. For this, employees contribute 10 per cent and the Government’s contribution is 14 per cent. This money is invested in the share market, which puts a question mark on the credibility of the system.”
He said that the employees and the teachers have been agitated since long for the restoration of the monthly pension scheme. “Though the Government has assured and even formed a committee, it did not heed to this demand of the employees and teachers,” he said. The SP chief said that a cashless treatment scheme for the Government employees will also be implemented. “The cashless treatment scheme was prepared during the SP regime, but this Government did not implement it. We will implement a cashless treatment scheme for the employees,” he said. He also announced to restart Yash Bharati award and said that Nagar Bharati awards will also be given at the city level. Akhilesh said that the SP will also reconsider the system of outsourcing services. “Outsourcing is not more than exploitation. It is a way to end the reservation. We are against privatisation,” he said. (UNI)