‘We Want Pension Not Tension’

NNPSGSEF reiterates demand for restoration of OPS in Nagaland

Our Correspondent
Kohima | November 4

The Nagaland National Pension System Government Service Employees Forum (NNPSGSEF) today undertook a car rally sticker campaign from Indira Gandhi Stadium to the Nagaland Civil Secretariat, Kohima, and reiterated its demand for the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS).

The NNPSGSEF is affiliated with the Confederation of All Nagaland State Service Employees’ Association (CANSSEA) and the All India National Pension System Employees Federation (AINPSEF).

Among the many posters displayed during the rally included: “NPS Hurts, OPS Heals,” “We Want Pension Not Tension,” “Old Pension Scheme – A Guaranteed Pension,” “Scrap National Pension Scheme, Save Your Employees,” “Scrap NPS, Restore OPS,” “Our Sweat, Our Service. We Deserve OPS,” etc.

NNPSGSEF President Avizo Nienu said that the car rally was organised in all the districts of Nagaland. 

Stating that their demand is not for self-benefit or to get a good amount of pension/salary, he stressed, “The main objective of the demand is to secure the lives of lakhs of people, to secure old aged persons and senior citizens of the state.”

He further stated that the forum would continue to advocate for the restoration of the OPS and expressed hope that the government would do justice to its demand. 

NNPSGSEF Vice President, Jentinochet Amri, said that the campaign was a reminder to the government that the demand for the OPS is still on. “We are not against the government or any individual but we are against the system that advocates market-linked pension,” he clarified. 

The use of the white flag during the rally is a visual statement or appeal to the government for a dialogue towards their demand, he said.

NNPSGSEF General Secretary, Imnasenla Pongener, conveyed appreciation to all the participants for their collective commitment towards pushing the Forum’s objective and demand.

Petitions Chief Secretary
After the rally, the NNPSGSEF submitted a representation to the Chief Secretary of Nagaland and sought restoration of the OPS under the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972 (now 2021) for Nagaland State Government employees appointed after January 1, 2010. These employees are currently governed by the contributory National Pension System (NPS).

The representation stated that the Ministry of Finance (Department of Economic Affairs), through a notification issued in 2003, introduced the NPS  as a new scheme called for central government employees on January 1, 2004 (except for armed forces and judiciary) with the intention of making it available on a “voluntary basis” to all citizens later.

Thereafter, the Nagaland State Government implemented the NPS for State Government employees from January 1, 2010, and subsequently, ‘involuntarily’ by default, they are brought under the system. 

“This has been detrimental to the interest of the employees who have been deprived of post-retirement pension benefit despite having dedicated their entire lives to the service and progress of the state,” the representation stated.

Amid growing distrust in the NPS, subscribers formed the NNPSGSEF, a forum representing over 35,000 state employees covered under the scheme to collectively address their grievances. 

“With the continued existence of NPS in Nagaland, all government employees in the state, after a decade or two, will eventually be covered under NPS,” it stated.

As per the system’s policy, every employee contributes 10% of their basic pay plus DA to the NPS each month, while the State Government provides a matching contribution of 14%. Upon superannuation, the accumulated corpus is split 60:40, with 40% mandatorily invested in the market for pension generation, it stated.

The monthly NPS pension is annuity-based, and returns are not fixed, as they are subject to market fluctuations.

In the event of death, if the accumulated amount is Rs 5 lakh or more, it is split 80:20, wherein 20% is paid to the nominee and 80% is invested in the market. However, if the accumulated amount is less than Rs 5 lakh, the nominee receives the entire lump sum and no further pension is provided, the representation noted.

The NNPSGSEF pointed out that the NPS does not provide any guarantee of assured returns or minimum pension. As it is a market-linked retirement plan that directly depends on market performance, there is no guarantee of minimum return or interest even on the employee’s contribution, it added.

The Forum also highlighted some of the concerning irregularities of the NPS and the key differences between OPS and NPS. It further maintained that State Governments have reverted to the OPS from the NPS owing to irregularities observed in the regulations and policy of NPS as well as concerns regarding inadequate social security, lack of guaranteed benefits and growing dissatisfaction among their state’s employees.

Accordingly, the NNPSGSEF appealed to the Chief Secretary to consider reversion to the OPS which provides more secured and guaranteed pension benefits and ultimately assure the ‘security of all future Naga generations.’