Assam employees' body seeks immediate implementation of old pension scheme

The Sadou Asam Karmachari Parishad (SAKP) has urged the Assam government to expedite the implementation of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for state government employees whose recruitment process began before January 2005, citing delays despite the collection of relevant employee data by the Finance Department.

The employees' organisation has submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, seeking immediate verification of the data and issuance of final orders allowing eligible employees to shift from the New Pension Scheme (NPS) to OPS.

SAKP President Kumud Kumar Kataki and Secretary General Pranabjyoti Bhuyan said the transition was in line with the Centre's Office Memorandum dated February 17, 2020, and an Assam Finance Department communication issued on March 28, 2025.

Under the provisions cited by the organisation, employees whose recruitment process was initiated before January 2005 are eligible to opt for the Old Pension Scheme.

The parishad said the Finance Department had already collected information from various state government departments, but the process had yet to result in concrete implementation.

It urged the government to act without further delay, arguing that employees who had served the state for decades should not remain uncertain about their retirement benefits.

Separately, SAKP has announced a three-month deadline for individuals involved in ongoing legal disputes against the organisation to withdraw their cases.

The decision was taken at the parishad's Central Executive Body meeting on November 1, 2026. The organisation has offered the litigants an opportunity to withdraw all pending cases unconditionally within three months.

SAKP spokesperson Sailendra Pandey said the organisation remained committed to protecting government employees' interests while ensuring accountability within its own ranks.

Kataki and Bhuyan said the Central Executive Body had authorised the president and secretary general to pursue all pending legal proceedings to their conclusion if the litigants failed to withdraw their cases within the stipulated period.