BMS asks govt to restore old pension scheme

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), RSS-affiliated central trade union, has urged the Central government to restore the old pension scheme.

The demand was made during Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's meeting with RSS leaders that took place between November 21 and November 29.

The meeting was the part of the exercise in which the Finance Minister discusses and takes suggestions from various organisations, industry chambers and experts to draw the outline of the Union Budget.

In a series of meetings, various organisations associated to the RSS gave several suggestions to the Finance Minister, keeping in view the interests of farmers and labourers.

The BKS urged the government to increase the amount of financial benefit provided under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana and sought to link it with the inflation.

Similarly, the Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) expressed concern over the ever-increasing trade deficit with China and suggested the Finance Minister to raise duty on imported goods. The SJM also suggested several steps to make India self-reliant.

Interestingly, the restoration of the old pension scheme has become a major political issue with the Congress party raising the issue vigorously in its campaigning for assembly elections.

The Congress is also preparing to make it a big issue in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In such a situation, the advice by the BMS becomes politically crucial.