MP News: In the budget of the state to be presented in the last week of February, the Shivraj government can give great relief to the employees. After 2005, the government is preparing to increase its contribution in the pension of recruited officers and employees by four percent. Currently, under the National Pension Scheme (NPS), the employees and the government deposit ten-ten percent contribution.
The central government has increased its contribution from ten to 14 percent. Officers of All India Services are also benefiting from this in the state. But more than four lakh employees of the state are deprived of it. They have been demanding this for a long time. The government has now shown a positive attitude towards increasing the contribution and it can be announced in the budget. This is expected to bear an additional burden of about Rs 550 crore on the government exchequer.
According to sources, the contributory pension scheme is in force for officers and employees recruited after 2005. Under this, the State and Central Government also contribute as much contribution as the employees deposit. The central government has increased the contribution for its employees from 10 to 14 percent from 1 April 2019. The state government has introduced this provision for officers of All India Services working in Madhya Pradesh from 20 March 2020, but its benefits were not given to the employees of the state.
It has been demanded continuously from the Ministry Employees Union to other employee organizations, but it has been continuously avoided citing the financial situation. The process has started after receiving positive signals from the government in the Finance Department. Officials say that the government may announce an increase of four percent contribution in the budget. It will cover about four lakh employees. After the implementation of this provision, the government will bear an additional financial burden of about five and a half crore rupees annually.
Pensioners can also get relief
Sources say that along with increasing dearness allowance of employees, an increase in dearness relief of pensioners can also be announced. The Finance Department has prepared a proposal for this. There are fifty five lakh pensioners in the state. They are now getting 12 percent inflation relief. The Kamal Nath government had ordered increase in DA from five per cent of the employees from July 2019 but left the pensioners. The Pensioners Association has demanded the Chief Secretary Iqbal Singh Bains to increase inflation relief for pensioners.