Excelsior Correspondent
KATHUA, Mar 22: J&K United School Teachers Association has demanded restoration of Old Pension Scheme for the Government employees.
The demand was made during a meeting of district committee of USTA, held in Zone Barnoti of District Kathua under the leadership of Vinayak Sharma, District President. During the meeting, office bearers of Zone Barnoti were also elected.
Members of USTA raised the issue of restoration of old pension scheme in favour of employees and teachers working in the Union Territory of J&K as the new pension scheme is an economic onslaught on the teachers and employees.
While citing the decisions of Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh Government to restore Old Pension scheme, USTA urged upon the J&K Government to enroll all the NPS subscribers under the defined benefit pension scheme (OPS).
Members of USTA further stated that Defined Benefit Pension Scheme or Old Pension Scheme is a well built social security scheme without any pecuniary contribution from the beneficiaries whereas NPS subscribers have to pay for the pension which put the teachers and employees into crisis.
Expressing dismay over the non-regularization of various cadres in School Education Department for the past ten years, organization demanded regular scale for Lecturers, Headmasters, Principals, ZEO’s and Chief Education Officers. USTA also demanded abolition of look after charge to Headmasters, Lecturers, ZEOs, Principals and Chief Education Officers while giving promotion and placement in promotional scale.
Other issues highlighted in the meeting include grant of in-situ promotion of higher standard pay scale to Masters, grant of Senior Teacher Scale to Undergraduate teachers, filling up of all vacant post of teachers in the schools and increase in educational budget.
Later in the meeting, election for Zone Barnoti Committee of USTA was also held in which Mohammad Surmu was unanimously elected as President, Bodh Raj as Senior Vice President, Joginder Singh as Vice President, Mahesh Kumar as Secretary and Madan Lal as Chief Organiser.
Those who attended the meeting include Dr Shashi Pal Singh, Mohan Singh, Mohinder Singh, Shub Nandan Sharma, Rattan Singh, Sudesh Kumar, Vijay Kumar, Prabhat Singh, Narinder Kumar, Bharat Bhushan, Barkat Ali, Rajan Kumar, Joginder Singh, Bodh Raj, Ram Lal Verma, Pardeep Kumar, Sunny Kumar, Naresh Singh, Ashok Kumar and Shub Kumar.