New Delhi. Former Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia has given such a statement regarding the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), which may make Congress and Rahul Gandhi uncomfortable. Montek Singh, who was the economic advisor to PM Manmohan Singh during the UPA government, said that moving from the old pension scheme to the new pension scheme is a good step. As far as the Central Government is concerned the new pension scheme is still going on, but some states (Congress ruled states) have reverted to the old pension scheme which is a mistake.
#WATCH Delhi | On Old Pension Scheme, former Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia says,”…The fact that we moved away from the Old Pension Scheme to the New Pension Scheme is good…It happened during the Vajpayee govt, during the UPA it continued ,… pic.twitter.com/54c8xog8cL
— ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2025
Let us tell you that Rahul Gandhi is in favor of re-implementing the old pension scheme. He has expressed his opinion on this matter on many occasions. During the Lok Sabha elections, Rahul, while answering the questions of journalists, had said that we have not included the issue of implementing the old pension scheme in the Congress manifesto, but after forming the government, we will definitely consider this matter. Even before the Gujarat Assembly elections, Rahul Gandhi had said that we have restored the old pension in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. If Congress government is formed in Gujarat also, we will implement the old pension scheme here. Now Ahluwalia, who was the economic advisor to the PM in the Congress-led UPA government, has expressed his views different from Rahul on the old pension.
However, this is not the first time that Ahluwalia has been vocal on the old pension scheme, even before this he has expressed his opinion publicly. Last year, during an event in the presence of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Ahluwalia had said that revival of old pension schemes by some state governments was a recipe for financial bankruptcy. He had said that the system should be prevented from adopting policies that are likely to lead to financial disaster.
