Maharashtra protest: The health machinery in Maharashtra has collapsed as lakhs of state government employees, on Thursday, continued their strike on the third day to demand the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). Owing to the ongoing strike, OPDs are being affected in the hospitals of the state. Only critical surgeries are being done in many hospitals, sources said.
It should be mentioned here that government employees are on strike in every city of Maharashtra. The protesting employees include medical staff, forest department personnel, school teachers as well as officials from several other departments.
Opposition asks govt to intervene to end agitation
Earlier on Wednesday, March 15, Opposition leader Ajit Pawar said the health machinery in the state has collapsed while other essential services are affected due to the ongoing strike by the state government employees. Speaking in the Legislative Assembly, Pawar asked the government to intervene to end the stir.
"The incidence of H3N2 flu is rising and the strike is impacting the common citizens. In a hospital, more than 150 surgeries are pending. The process to conduct panchnamas of (crop losses) due to recent unseasonal rains has stopped due to the strike," he added.
The Maharashtra State Government Employees Federation has stressed that the strike will continue until the government accepts their demands.
CM Shinde forms commission to look into matter
Earlier on March 13, a commission made up of top bureaucrats was also announced by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to evaluate the demand of state government employees to restore the Old Pension System.
According to him, the group would submit its report in a timely manner. However, Katkar said the state government employees held similar protests in 2018, following which a panel was formed but there was no movement on its report. The employees also resorted to strike in 2022. However, there was no progress on the fulfilment of the demand.
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Around 18 lakh employees join protest
It should be noted here that more than 17 lakh Maharashtra government employees commenced their indefinite strike on March 14, demanding the reintroduction of the OPS. The employees have made several demands including cancelling the New Pension Scheme (NPS) and implementing the OPS.
The government had implemented the NPS, however, the employees' federation has been opposing this scheme since its inception. Ahead of the state budget, lakhs of government employees and pensioners in Maharashtra are demanding the restoration of the OPS, which was scrapped in 2005.
(With inputs from agencies)
