Juni Pension Yojana (जुनी पेन्शन योजना महाराष्ट्र) 2024 Latest News - Old Pension Scheme for State Govt Employees Approved by Maharashtra Govt

Maharashtra government has approved Juni Pension Yojana for state govt. employees on 4 January 2024. The जुनी पेन्शन योजना महाराष्ट्र latest news is that govt. will grant one-time option to employees who joined government service after November 1, 2005, to opt for the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). Read this article till the end to know how Maha govt. will implement Juni Pension Yojna (जुनी पेन्शन योजना लागू) and how many employees would benefit.

About Maharashtra Juni Pension Yojana 2024

Implementation of Juni Pension Yojana (Old Pension Scheme) in Maharashtra is a long standing demand of the govt. employees. In December 2023, over 17 lakh employees had gone on a one-day strike demanding the OPS. Now the state cabinet has decided to provide one-time option to employees who joined government service after 1 November 2005 to opt for the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). However the catch in this decision is that the option to join जुनी पेन्शन योजना will be available only on vacancies notified before November 1, 2005.

This decision of Maharashtra cabinet committee will, however, benefit only 26,000 employees. With this decision, Maharashtra becomes the first BJP-ruled state in the country to take positive steps to implement the scheme at a time when the opposition Congress has been demanding it across the country. 

Maharashtra State Gazetted Officers Association on जुनी पेन्शन योजना

The Maharashtra State Gazetted Officers Association said that they welcome the decision to implement Juni Pension Yojana but termed it as a partial success. President of the association said "Our demand to implement OPS to all or to offer a scheme that gives identical benefits remains the same. The Chief Minister has said in the assembly that final decision on OPS will be taken in the budget session of the state legislature and we expect a positive outcome then".

Background of Old Pension Scheme for Maharashtra State Employees

Maharashtra state govt employees firstly went on a strike demanding implementation of old pension scheme in March 2023. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had announced the setting up of a committee comprising former senior bureaucrats Subodh Kumar, KP Bakshi and Sudhir Kumar Shrivastava to study the old and new pension schemes. The panel was asked to submit a report with recommendations in three months.

The three-member committee submitted its report to Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar in November 2023. Speaking at the Legislative Council in the recently held winter session of the state legislature, Pawar had said that the government was positive on the demand and a decision on OPS was likely before the next budget session after studying the report.

The committee has indicated that the reinstatement of the OPS can be a huge drain on the state exchequer. However, the committee has recommended benefits equal to OPS. Then again, state govt. employees went on a one day strike in December 2023. Now Maharashtra state cabinet committee has approved Juni Pension Yojana on 4 Jan 2024.  

Earlier, Deputy Chief Minister and then finance minister Devendra Fadnavis had said that the government was not opposed to the implementation of OPS, in principle. The government, he said, wanted to study the effects of its financial burden on the state and would take a decision after doing so.

Source/Reference Link: https://marathi.abplive.com/news/maharashtra/old-pension-scheme-maharashtra-cabinet-decision-today-state-employees-who-joined-service-after-nov-2005-now-an-option-of-ops-know-details-in-marathi-1243975