Chhattisgarh extends old pension scheme to power staff

Raipur: The Chhattisgarh Cabinet at a meeting headed by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Saturday cleared a proposal to extend the old pension scheme (OPS) for employees of state-owned power companies who were appointed after January 1, 2004.

The decision would benefit around 10,000 officers and employees of these companies.

Chhattisgarh has already announced a switchover from the new pension scheme to the OPS, something that government employees across the nation have asked for.

On October 1, the National Movement for Old Pension Scheme (NMOPS) had organized a ‘Pension Shankhanaad Rally,’ at New Delhi which had seen wide response.

Congress-ruled states like Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh and Jharkhand, where the JMM is in power, and Punjab under the AAP, have already announced the reversal to the OPS.

The Cabinet revoked termination orders on the officers and employees of the state health department sacked under Essential Service Maintenance Act (ESMA) for going on strike.

The Chhattisgarh Cabinet also approved the proposal to establish the State Mahua Board to oversee collection, value addition, processing, and utilisation of Mahua, a forest produce collected by tribals.

The proposed board would also set up biodiesel or ethanol production through Mahua.

The Cabinet also cleared the proposal to amend the Chhattisgarh Goods and Services Tax (GST) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023.