Mallikarjun Kharge Criticizes Modi Govt’s U-Turn with New Pension Scheme UPS
Mallikarjun Kharge Criticizes Government’s U-Turn on Unified Pension Scheme
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has sharply criticized the Central Government’s decision to introduce the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) after replacing the New Pension Scheme (NPS). Kharge stated that the “U” in UPS symbolizes the government’s U-turn on its policies.
Kharge pointed out that the government had previously reversed decisions like the long-term capital gains/indexation during the budget and retracted the Broadcasting Bill and lateral entry into UPSC high posts. He emphasized that the opposition will continue to hold the government accountable to ensure the protection of 140 crore Indians.
The Shiv Sena, led by Uddhav Thackeray, claimed that the decision to introduce UPS was taken under pressure from the opposition. Shiv Sena leader Anand Dubey remarked that BJP has only secured 240 seats, leading them to introduce this scheme for central government employees.
AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj added that BJP is now acting sensibly, suggesting that the party may soon reverse other decisions like the Agniveer scheme. Congress leader Rashid Alvi also criticized the government, accusing it of spreading confusion with UPS and arguing that the government should provide 100% of the last salary as a pension instead of just 50%.
In response to how UPS differs from the old and new pension schemes, former Cabinet Secretary TV Somnath stated that UPS is a fully contributory scheme, requiring employees to contribute 10% of their salary, similar to NPS. However, unlike NPS, UPS guarantees a fixed pension and combines the benefits of both OPS and NPS.
