GPS will be a good pension scheme, Jagan tells Andhra employees

Amaravati, June 9 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday assured state government employees that AP Guaranteed Pension scheme (GPS) which will replace Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) will benefit them and become a role model for the entire country.

He told the leaders of employees' unions that the employees will not suffer any loss due to the GPS.

AP NGOs Association President B. Srinivasa Rao, Secretary Siva Reddy and other leaders called on the Chief Minister and thanked him for the Cabinet decision to implement the GPS, regularise the services of contract employees, constitute the 12th PRC and treat Vaidya Vidhana Parishad staff as government employees.

Srinivasa Rao told reporters after the meeting that they demanded implementation of a pension scheme without contribution from employees but the Chief Minister told them that this will be a burden for the state government.

The Chief Minister directed the officials to implement the cabinet decisions relating to employees within 60 days.

The Chief Minister told them that the employees are part of the government and the people's welfare depends on employees' welfare. "Finance Department has worked hard for the last two years to introduce a good pension scheme for you and solve other problems keeping in mind the welfare of your families for future generations also," he said.

If an employee retires with a basic salary of Rs 1 lakh, he would get a monthly pension of Rs 50,000, but even at the age of 82 also, the retired employee should have good living standards, he said, adding that the GPS was envisaged keeping this in view.

"For the first time, a good effort was made to do justice to the employees and provide financial security on retirement. Every year, two DRs would be added to meet the growing inflation," he told the leaders, adding the GPS has several good features which the old CPS doesn't have.

About the regularisation of contract employees, he said government has also considered the Supreme Court views and judgments to help them. "When the proposal first came to me, it was suggested that completion of ten years of service on the date of bifurcation should be taken as the yardstick for their regularisation. But to help majority of the contract employees, it was reduced to 5 years," he said.

The Chief Minister said that the government has decided to help the employees of the Vaidya Vidhana Parishad also as there is wide difference in their salaries and post-retirement benefits when compared to regular Government employees.

"Hence, we have decided to abolish it and treat them as government employees. If you still feel there is more to be done, we are ready to do it as I strongly believe that the welfare of the people depends on your welfare and you are also stake holders in the government. Government will stand by you," he assured them.

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