Maha dharna against Contributory Pension Scheme

Eluru: Hundreds of government employees, teachers and workers staged Maha Dharna at District Collectorate here on Saturday demanding that the government  abolish the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

 The agitators led by Pension Sadhana Samiti reached Collectorate and raised slogans against the government demanding to scrap the CPS. MLC Ramu Surya Rao demanded the government to abolish the CPS immediately.

“If necessary, I can take up the fast-unto-death for the abolition of CPS,” he announced and suggested the Opposition leader Y S Jaganmohan Reddy to attend the Assembly and support the abolition of CPS.

Presiding over the Maha Dharna, Pension Sadhana Samiti convener R S Haranath said the MPs and MLAs, who elected once are getting lifetime pension. “If the MLAs and MPs are eligible for a lifetime pension for their one-time election, the employees who are serving over 30 years, are not eligible for the pension,” he questioned. 

He called on employees, workers, teachers associations to unite to fight against the CPS. He said NGO leader P Ashok Babu has lit this fire and it has become a wildfire spreading all over the country to end the CPS system. Pension Sadhana Samiti district observer K V V Bhaskar Rao, UTF state president Shaik Sabji, CPI leader K Krishnamacharyulu and CPI(ML) New Democracy leader U Venkateswara Rao addressed the dharna.