SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur on Wednesday accused the Congress party of befooling people over the issue of pension scheme.
Thakur alleged that the then Congress government — led by CM Virbhadra Singh — had abolished the Old Pension Scheme to implement New Pension Scheme in 2003.
The chief minister said this while addressing a public meeting at Chaugan ground in Jaisinghpur under Jaisinghpur assembly constituency of Kangra district after inaugurating and laying the foundation stone of developmental projects worth Rs 144 crore.
This comes at a time when mass movement is being launched by government employees in support of the Old Pension Scheme and MLAs are drawing flak for receiving hefty pensions.
In the 2022 assembly elections, the pension scheme is going to be a major issue, it is said.
He said that the previous Congress government changed the R&P Rules for Police in 2015 and police personnel were deprived of a few benefits.
Thakur said that his government was well aware of the situation and "would do whatever possible for the welfare of police personnel".
He accused the Congress leaders of politicizing the sensitive issue of Covid pandemic.
He said that at the peak of the pandemic, Congress leaders did nothing except misleading people.
Thakur said the state Congress leaders even did not spare their own central leaders and raised bill worth Rs 12 crore as expenditure during the pandemic.
The CM said that earlier there were only 50 ventilators in the state and the present government took up the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and 500 ventilators were immediately provided to the state and today the state has over thousand functional ventilators.
There were only two oxygen plants in the state and today the state has 30 oxygen plants, he added.
