Chhattisgarh staff can choose between old and new pension schemes

As the Centre has refused to refund the ₹17,000 crore already deposited in the NPS, those who joined between November 2004 and March 2022 will have to submit an affidavit to now opt for OPS

The Chhattisgarh government on Friday said that it would give all government employees the option to choose between the old pension scheme (OPS) and the new pension scheme (NPS).

The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel at his residence in Raipur on Friday.

Editorial | Old is not gold: On the return to the old pension scheme

The ruling Congress is betting big on bringing back the OPS in the States that it governs. The promise to implement the OPS in Himachal Pradesh was instrumental in bringing the Congress back to power in that hill State earlier this month.

In Chhattisgarh, where the party has been in power since 2018, nearly three lakh government employees will be affected by the decision. While the announcement on implementing the OPS was initially made in April this year, the Central government has refused to meet the State’s demand to refund the more than ₹17,000 crore already deposited in the NPS.

Following Friday’s decision, the State government said it was “a middle ground after the Central government refused to return the money deposited towards the New Pension Scheme (NPS)”.

A senior official said that while all those who joined after April 1, 2022 would be covered under the OPS, those who joined between November 1, 2004 and March 31, 2022, would have to submit an affidavit if they now want to opt for OPS.