Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday said his government is considering restoring the old pension scheme for government employees. Restoration of the old pension scheme, which was discontinued in 2004, has been one of the major demands of the state government employees.

"My government is considering reverting to the old pension system (OPS). I have asked my chief secretary to study the feasibility and modalities of its implementation. We stand committed to the welfare of our employees," Mann said on Twitter.

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal hailed the announcement by Mann. "Wow! A great decision. All govt employees across India want old pension scheme to be restored," Kejriwal tweeted.

In August last year, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Harpal Singh Cheema, who is ?currently the Finance Minister, had promised to restore the old pension system if the party was voted to power in Punjab.

Punjab Civil Secretariat Staff Association chairman Sukhchain Singh Khaira welcomed the chief minister's announcement and said the state government employees have been struggling to get the old pension system restored.?

In an official statement, the chief minister said he has asked the chief secretary of the state to explore the feasibility and modalities of implementation of the scheme that is likely to give major relief to the employees of the state.?

Reiterating the firm commitment of his government to ensure wellbeing of the employees, Mann said that no stone will be left unturned for this noble cause. He said that employees are the backbone of the government and every effort will be made to ensure their welfare.

Mann said his government had already taken several "path breaking pro-employee initiatives in last few months". He said that his government has introduced policy for the regularisation of the contractual employees in the state.?

Mann further said his government has also started a major recruitment drive so that the youth can get jobs on one hand and performance of various government departments can be optimised by overcoming shortage of staff on the other.

(With PTI Inputs)?