APSGEF staged a day-long dharna at dharna chowk

Members of Andhra Pradesh State Government Employees Federation (APSGEF) and State Teachers Federation of India (STFI) led by Andhra Pradesh NGOs Association president Ashok Babu staged a day-long dharna at dharna chowk here demanding withdrawal of Contributory Pension Scheme and regularization of contract labour.

The agitation witnessed employees from various departments of the State government taking part as per the call given by the national federations as part of the National Protest Day.“This draconian scheme is affecting employees, teachers and workers numbering around 80 lakhs in the country,” he pointed out.Mr Ashok said both State and Central governments failed in their responsibility to protect the welfare of the workforce by prolonging the uncertain scheme.

“There is no guarantee to the amount invested in the scheme as it is invested in the volatile stock market. For the employees nearing retirement they are not certain what amount they would get as pension as there is no clearcut system to assess the growth of his investment,” he said.He said though Central and State governments contributed their share to the scheme; there was no clarity in the interest offered for their contribution.He said lakhs of employees all over the country were facing uncertainty and were demanding scrapping of the scheme.