Tamil Nadu announces assured pension scheme for govt employees; state to spend additional Rs 13,000 crore

CHENNAI: Fulfilling the over 2-decade-old demand of government employees and teachers seeking a defined pension by restoring the Old Pension Scheme, Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday announced a new plan, the "Tamil Nadu Assured Pension Scheme," and said it would provide the benefits of the old scheme.

Fifty per cent of the last drawn salary of government employees would be the assured pension, the chief minister announced. For this purpose, the state government would provide, alongside the 10 per cent contribution of the employees, the required entire additional funding to the Pension Fund.

Pensioners receiving 50 per cent assured pension would be granted Dearness Allowance hike every six months on a par with government employees. In case of the death of pensioners, 60 per cent of the pension amount would be granted as family pension to the nominee of the deceased.

Tamil Nadu assures family pension

If an employee dies in harness, or in case of death at the time of retirement, upto a maximum of Rs 25 lakh (Death gratuity) would be provided in keeping with the length of service. After the implementation of the new Assured Pension Scheme, all who retire without completing the qualifying service period for receiving pension will be provided a minimum pension, the chief minister said in an official release.

In case of retirement, ahead of the implementation of the TN Assured Pension Scheme, of those who joined the government service under the Contributory Pension Scheme, they would be provided a Special Compassionate Pension. In view of the introduction of the TAPS, the Tamil Nadu government has to provide an additional Rs 13,000 crore to the Pension Fund.

Also, annually, the TAPS implementation would entail an expenditure of approximately Rs 11,000 crore as the government's contribution. "This contributory amount will increase every year depending upon the salary of the employees." Despite the "severe financial situation" currently faced by the Tamil Nadu government, in order to protect the interests of government employees and teachers, the state government will fully bear such expenditure, the CM said.

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OPS-like benefits

Stalin appealed to government employees and teachers to extend full cooperation for the implementation of the new scheme and assured it is equivalent to the benefits under the Old Pension Scheme.

The TAPS is visionary and practical, considering the interests of government employees, teachers and the future of their families, and the new scheme fulfills their 20-year-old demand, the government said. Representatives of the Joint Action Council of Tamil Nadu Teachers Organisations and Government Employees Organisation (JACTO-GEO) welcomed the new scheme and thanked the chief minister adding it marked the end of their 23-year old struggle.

"The new scheme fulfills our key demand and is in alignment with our expectations," a JACTO-GEO office-bearer told reporters. Office-bearers of JACTO-GEO and several other government employees associations called on the chief minister at the Secretariat here and thanked him for the new pension scheme.

Pongal gift for govt employees

In a social media post, the CM said the Dravidian Model government led by him has fulfilled the 20-year-old demand of government employees by announcing the new pension scheme. He said the DMK government has once again demonstrated its unwavering commitment to the people who have voted for his party, by trusting it. The announcement on TAPS is a grand New Year and Pongal gift for government employees, he added.

The Dravidian model of good governance alone will continue! The demands of all sections will be fulfilled automatically, without even asking for it, with the improvement of Tamil Nadu's fiscal status. CPI (M) State Secretary P Shanmugam welcomed the scheme, saying it has brought joy to 9-lakh government employees and teachers and their families.

He urged the government to issue a Government Order for the immediate implementation of the assured pension scheme. He also requested the government to fulfill other pending demands, including addressing salary-related anomalies. Welcoming the move, CPI State Secretary M Veerapandian said the new scheme is a model for the rest of the country.

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Political reactions split

PMK founder S Ramadoss thanked the chief minister for the scheme and urged him to regularise the services of contract personnel by making them permanent government employees. Dravidar Kazhagam chief K Veeramani was among others who welcomed the scheme and lauded the Stalin-led state government.

PMK top leader Anbumani, who is heading a separate faction, said the DMK regime could have implemented the scheme within a few months of assuming office in May 2021. However, the DMK government, which did not implement the scheme for a very long time and has now announced the scheme during the fag end of its term.

Hence, the new pension scheme was an act of deception as it was intended to lure votes by saying that the scheme could be implemented only if DMK wins polls, he claimed. Considering the long-time demand of employees seeking restoration of the Old Pension Scheme, the DMK government had appointed a committee headed by top State official Gagandeep Singh Bedi to study the matter and make suitable recommendations to the government.

The Bedi-led panel, days ago submitted at the Secretariat its final report on the pension issue to Chief Minister Stalin. In its manifesto for the 2021 Assembly election, the DMK had said that it would implement the Old Pension Scheme.