State Govt Employees' Agitation Against CPS Gains Steam

HYDERABAD: The state government employees’ agitation against the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) in Telangana state is gaining steam, with more employee unions taking part in the state-wide ‘OPS rath yatra’, being undertaken since July 16, demanding the state government to abolish the CPS and restore the Old Pension Scheme (OPS).

With Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao announcing the regularisation of services of VRAs (village revenue assistants) on Sunday, the number of state government employees covered under the CPS has increased to 2.2 lakh.
Various teachers unions, Telangana Non-Gazetted Officers Union (TNGO) unions, Telangana Gazetted Officers Union (TGO) unions and other employee unions of various districts have joined the rath yatra, spearheaded by the TS CPS Employees Union (TSCPSEU) and have vowed to hold a public meeting in Hyderabad on August 12.

TSCPS EU president G. Sthitaprajna told media persons on Wednesday
that employees covered under the CPS will take part in the public meeting in Hyderabad along with their family members seeking the abolishment of the CPS and restoration of the OPS.

He said if the state government fails to restore the OPS before the upcoming Assembly election, CPS employees will only support those parties which have promised to restore the OPS.

Sthitaprajna said that CPS employees and their families played a key role in Congress winning in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka Assembly polls recently, where about 40 candidates won with a margin of 2 per cent.

The ‘rath yatra’, which started from the Jogulamba Temple in Alampur in Gadwal district on July 16, entered Sircilla district on Wednesday. The yatra covered Gadwal, Wanaparthy, Nagarkurnool, Nalgonda, Suryapet, Khammam, Kothagudem, Mahbubabad, Warangal, Hanamkonda, Mulugu, Bhupalpally, Peddapalli, Mancherial, Asifabad, Nirmal, Nizamabad and Kamareddy district in the last 10 days.