From the Mantralaya to government offices across Maharashtra, day-to-day administration was severely affected on Tuesday – the first day of the indefinite strike announced by the government employees’ union demanding implementation of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who appealed for the strike to be called off, went on to announce the setting up of a committee comprising former senior bureaucrats Subodh Kumar, K P Bakshi and Sudhir Kumar Shrivastava to study old and new pension schemes. The panel, which will have the director (Accounts and Treasury) as its secretary, will submit a report with recommendations within the next three months. Earlier, the state government had claimed that the two unions, representing primary teachers and health workers, have backed off from the strike. Over 17 lakh Maharashtra government, semi government employees as well as teaching and non-teaching staffers, began an indefinite strike from Tuesday, demanding implementation of OPS. On Monday, talks between government and employees failed after the demand for implementation of OPS was rejected. The strike hampered operation of government offices across the state. The strike is likely to affect the schedule of state board exams as well, as non-teaching staffers too joined the stir. However, no major issue was reported in hospitals since doctors were not part of the strike. Attendance in the Mantralaya and the new administrative building was sparse, but the ongoing Budget Session of the state legislature was not affected by the strike. Protests outside government offices were largely seen outside Mumbai and Mumbai Metropolitan Region. In the state Assembly, Leader of Opposition, NCP’s Ajit Pawar, sought to know the government’s preparation for the strike. In the Legislative Council, the Opposition boycotted proceedings in protest against the government’s inaction on issues raised by employees as well as farmers. Shinde, in a statement in the Assembly, said the government is positive about the demands but financial implications also need to be checked. “We appeal to employees to call off the strike. We are ready for discussion and we are positive about the demand. Extreme steps are taken when one sees no light, but we are not against the demand,” he added. The president of the Primary Teacher Association, Sambhaji Thorat, announced that his union had bowed out of the strike, claiming that both Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis are positive about the Old Pension Scheme.
