State Government Officers and Employees Can Choose Between National Pension Scheme, Unified Pension Scheme, and Revised Pension Scheme

Mumbai – All state government officers and employees will be given the option to choose from the newly announced Unified Pension Scheme of the Central Government, the National Pension Scheme (NPS), or the Revised Pension Scheme introduced by the State Government during the budget session, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced. Various officers’ and employees’ unions agreed to the Chief Minister’s decision and subsequently suspended their planned strike.

A meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Shinde, was held at the Sahyadri Guest House to discuss the demands of state government officers and employees. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, along with several high-ranking officials such as Additional Chief Secretary of Home Department I. S. Chahal, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Vikas Kharge, and others, attended the meeting. Also present were representatives of employee unions, including Adviser to the Maharashtra State Gazetted Officers Federation G.D. Kulthe, President Vinod Desai, All India State Government Employees Federation General Secretary Vishwas Katkar, and Maharashtra State Gazetted Officers Federation General Secretary Sameer Bhatkar.

Chief Minister Shinde emphasized that all officers and employees are an integral part of the government and reiterated the commitment to ensuring justice and sustainable pensions for all. He reassured attendees that the government stands by its promises and will not allow officers and employees to face hardships. In light of the unions’ demands, it was decided that employees will have the opportunity to choose from the NPS, the Central Government’s Unified Pension Scheme, or the State Government’s Revised Pension Scheme. Employees will be able to review the details of each scheme and select the one that best suits their needs.

Additionally, Chief Minister Shinde directed that the proposal to reinstate the old pension scheme for Zilla Parishad officers and employees whose positions were advertised before November 1, 2005, should be presented to the Cabinet as soon as possible. He also instructed the relevant departments to review the implementation of the demands agreed upon in previous meetings with various unions. A separate meeting will be held to address the specific concerns of Class IV employees in the state.

The representatives of the employee organizations expressed their gratitude to the Chief Minister for accepting their demands regarding the Revised Pension Scheme. They also announced the suspension of their planned strike.