The Karnataka government has announced the reconstitution of the committee formed to study the feasibility of implementing the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for government employees who joined the service after 2006. This decision comes after concerns were raised about the slow progress of the previously established single-member committee.
Responding to a question in the Legislative Council, Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda confirmed the reconstitution and stated that the new committee will have three to five members. He further committed to finalizing this process within the next ten days and setting a clear deadline for the committee’s report.
Byre Gowda elaborated on the challenges of implementing the OPS, citing the example of Rajasthan where a similar attempt was met with technical difficulties. He explained that funds currently deposited under the New Pension Scheme (NPS) are locked with the Central Provident Fund and require approval for withdrawal. Additionally, the Union government’s lack of response regarding fund return presents further complications.
“Implementing this in a hurry would result in half the money remaining under NPS, while the other half goes to OPS. This is a complex issue,” Byre Gowda stated. He further noted that the original one-member committee was formed during the final days of the previous BJP government following employee protests. The Congress, in its election manifesto, pledged to “sympathetically consider” extending the OPS to employees joining service after 2006.
