Andhra employees thank government for restoring Old Pension Scheme benefits

Thousands of government employees and their families gathered at the Swarna Bharathi Indoor Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Sunday to express gratitude to the state government for extending Old Pension Scheme (OPS) benefits to a section of employees previously covered under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

The event, organized by employees’ and teachers’ associations including the AP DSC Forum, Noble Teachers’ Association, PRTU, and APTF, drew participants from across north Andhra. Employees poured milk over a portrait of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in a symbolic gesture of gratitude and raised slogans thanking the government for restoring pension benefits.

Several political leaders attended the programme, including Government Whip in the Legislative Council Vepada Chiranjeevi Rao, TDP State president and Gajuwaka MLA Palla Srinivasa Rao, Visakhapatnam East MLA Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu, Visakhapatnam North MLA P. Vishnu Kumar Raju, and Graduates’ constituency MLCs Alapati Raja, Kancharla Srikanth, and Perabathula Rajasekhar.

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Chiranjeevi Rao said the coalition government had provided financial security to nearly 11,000 families by extending OPS to eligible employees. He emphasized that pension security is an important welfare measure because employees’ families continue to depend on post-retirement financial support. He also alleged that government employees faced difficulties receiving dearness allowance arrears and medical bill reimbursements during the previous government’s tenure.

Mr. Chiranjeevi Rao further stated that the government extended OPS, family pension, and gratuity benefits to employees recruited under the 2004 notification who entered service later for technical reasons. He credited the Chief Minister with raising teachers’ salaries to match those of revenue employees, and appealed to employees and teachers to work with the government for the state’s development.

Mr. Palla Srinivasa Rao said the coalition government remained committed to the welfare of employees and teachers. Mr. Vishnu Kumar Raju alleged that teachers had been humiliated during the previous government’s tenure by being deployed to regulate queues at liquor outlets. Mr. Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu said the government would support every measure benefiting employees. Representatives of various employees’ and teachers’ associations also addressed the gathering and thanked the state government for extending pension benefits.