Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu
Government employees’ associations such as the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) Abolition Movement and Tamil Nadu Secretariat Association (TANSA) have questioned a recent statement of Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu which, they claim, reflected the “double standards” of the Tamil Nadu government over the demand to revive the old pension scheme.
To a query on the demand for revoking the CPS, Thennarasu had said the Tamil Nadu government would consider the Central government-constituted committee headed by IAS officer Somanathan and the decision taken by the Andhra Pradesh government in this regard. It would then consult with the Chief Minister, the Minister had said.
The CPS Abolition Movement contended that the committee constituted by the Union government had nothing to do with the State government, but was applicable only to those State governments that had signed agreements with the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).
“The Tamil Nadu government has not signed any agreement with the PFRDA over the past 20 years. Hence, there is no connection whatsoever between the committee constituted by the Central government and the State government,” it said in a statement.
The DMK’s electoral assurance was to revive the old pension scheme, it pointed out and further said the Congress governments in Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh and Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab “completely cancelled” the CPS. The CPS Abolition Movement further announced that it would organise protests on August 1 to condemn the statement of the Finance Minister.
The TANSA in a statement pointed out the electoral assurance made by the DMK and said the government had maintained silence over 26 months. It expressed shock over the statement made by the Finance Minister in this regard.
The TANSA further asked why the TN Finance Minister was worried about what the Andhra Pradesh government was deciding when the TN government had to decide for itself over the subject.
