A day after the BJP lost the high-stakes Kasba Peth Assembly bypoll, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday told the state Legislative Council that Shiv Sena-BJP government was not “entirely negative” about the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for government employees, including teachers. He, however, said the decision on bringing the scheme back will be taken only after considering the state's financial condition and to ensure that it will not burden its finances in the future. Fadnavis said he will hold a meeting with the members of recognised teachers unions and organisations of government employees to find a way forward. "I will hold a meeting with teachers unions and organisations as well as government employees to find out if there is any viable solution that is better than the National Pension Scheme (which is contributory)," he added. The statement comes a day after BJP lost the Kasba Peth bypoll and almost a month after it lost the teachers and graduates Legislative Council polls in Nagpur and Amravati constituencies. This is the second time that Fadnavis has said that the government is not entirely negative on the matter of OPS. During the Winter Session of the Legislative Council in Nagpur last December, he had said that the government was not implementing the OPS, as it would cost it Rs 1.1 lakh crore, which may bankrupt Maharashtra. A month later, ahead of the teachers and graduates Legislative Council polls, he had said that the government was not negative about OPS and will discuss the matter within the finance department. He had, however, said that it has to be a long term solution. Fadnavis was on Friday responding to a question raised by MLCs Bhai Jagtap, Abhijit Vanjari, Kishore Darade and Satej Patil, among others. While stating that the government is not entirely negative on restarting the pension, Fadnavis pointed out that the decision, however, must be taken after considering future implications. He referred to former Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia's opposition to the OPS. Fandvis said that the real impact of implementing OPS will be felt in 2028 and onwards and it may get out of hand after 2032. “We can win the elections by making populist statements, this government won't be affected but as a government, we must think about the future. Our expenditure is also increasing and hence, we must think about it since it will have a huge impact on the economy," Fadnavis told the Council. When Leader of Opposition in the Council, Ambadas Danve, questioned how states like Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh are planning to implement OPS, Fadnavis said it might not be financially feasible to go with it. Under the new pension scheme, employees contribute 10 per cent of their basic salary towards pension while the government contributes 14 per cent.
