Following recent strikes by government and semi-government employees, demanding the restoration of OPS, the Maharashtra cabinet has made a significant announcement. On Thursday, 4 January, the cabinet approved a proposal granting state-government employees who joined the service after November 2005 the option to avail of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS).
The chief minister’s office (CMO) announced the cabinet’s approval of the proposal, providing the OPS option to state employees who entered service post November, 2005. Vishwas Katkar, general secretary, Maharashtra state employees’ confederation, stated that approximately 26,000 state government employees, selected before November 2005 but who received joining letters later, would benefit from this decision.
Out of the 9.5 lakh state employees who joined before November 2005, already enjoying OPS benefits, the scheme offers a monthly pension equal to 50 per cent of the last-drawn salary, without requiring employee contributions.
Previously, the OPS was discontinued in the state in 2005, replaced by the New Pension Scheme (NPS), where employees contribute 10 per cent of their basic salary plus dearness allowance, matched by the state. The NPS involves market-linked investments through approved pension funds.
Along with nodding for OPS, the cabinet also approved a toll of Rs 250 for cars using the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), the country’s longest sea bridge, connecting Sewri in Mumbai to Nhava Sheva in Raigad district. The MTHL, to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 12 January, will significantly reduce travel time from two hours to approximately 15-20 minutes.
The cabinet also greenlit a proposal to grant Rs 5 per litre subsidy to milk producers in the state, as announced during the winter session of the state legislature. Another approved proposal entails providing clerks-typists at Mantralaya with a monthly allowance of Rs 5,000 in addition to their current remuneration.
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