Shimla, Mar 31 (Reporter) Chief Parliamentary Secretary Ashish Butel, and Deputy Chief Whip Kewal Singh Pathania said on Sunday that the present Congress government is an employee-friendly government. In a joint statement, they said that in the very first cabinet meeting, the state government, fulfilling its election guarantee, restored the old pension scheme for 1.36 lakh government employees and implemented it in its old form. "Himachal Pradesh is the first state in the country to do so under the leadership of Chief Minister Thakur Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu." Party MLAs claimed. They cautioned the state employees that soon after winning elections in Rajasthan, the BJP OPS implemented by the previous Congress government was decided to discontinue. Congress leaders said that the interests of government employees are safe only during the tenure of the Congress government. "The Central Government has imposed many restrictions on the state for opting for OPS, as financial assistance received from the Center has been reduced. The Central Government is also paying state employees dues in the amount of Rs 10 thousand crores of NPS. Butail and Pathania said that during previous BJP rule, employees were beaten with sticks when they made demands for OPS. Protesting employees were dispersed with water cannons and jokingly challenged to contest elections. Duo stated that employees have struggled for a long time for the OPS, and the present government has fulfilled their demand. The transition of power and the formation of Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu helped the employees secure their old age without any political reason. Government employees have contributed to the development of the state throughout their lives, and new dimensions of progress have been established due to their hard work. Therefore, it is important to have their social security through an old pension, they stressed. Mr. Butail and Pathaina said that in the tenure of only one and a quarter years, the present state government has issued a dearness allowance to the employees, first at three percent and now at four percent. Two cautioned the employees that the rebel Congress disqualified MLAs and Independents are again standing with the anti-employee BJP and are contesting the by-elections on BJP tickets. They said that the BJP is trying to impose bye polls on the people of the state, which is not in the interest of this state. The former BJP government misused public money, due to which Himachal Pradesh has a debt of more than Rs 75 thousand crores and the economic condition of the state is not good. Accusing the BJP of being a hindrance in the way to provide financial benefits to employees, Congress leaders said that the policies of the BJP are detrimental to the interests of the state. Instead of extending their hand to improving the economic situation of the state, ask the center to provide liberal financial assistance to Himachal. The BJP and rebels are dragging the state into an inevitable financial mess, he added...////...