BJD MLA Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo Criticizes Government’s Shift to Unified Pension Scheme

Bhubaneshwar (Odisha) [India], August 25: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo has voiced his concerns over the government’s decision to move from the Old Pension Scheme to the Unified Pension Scheme. He believes the shift was driven by the government’s inability to meet demands and fears of financial losses.

Speaking on Sunday, Deo stated, “The government moved away from the Old Pension Scheme because they were unable to meet the demands, and the fear of losses made them shift to a market-driven scheme. This move will cause a lot of anxiety, and therefore, the government has introduced the Unified Pension Scheme.”

Deo highlighted that the new scheme offers a 50% pension amount but questioned its adequacy for sustaining the livelihoods of long-term government employees. He said, “The Unified Pension Scheme will clearly provide a 50 percent pension amount, but it needs to be assessed whether this will be sufficient to maintain the livelihoods of those who have been working with the government for the past 30 to 40 years and if the amount is comparable to what is outlined in the National Pension Scheme.”

He also pointed out the timing of the scheme’s introduction, suggesting it is linked to the upcoming state elections. “With the state elections approaching, it is clear why the government has decided to implement this scheme at this time. More than 2.5 million people would have benefited from the National Pension Scheme and received higher benefits. My advice to most people is to remain with the Old Pension Scheme,” he concluded.