President Murmu confers six Kirti Chakras, 33 Shaurya Chakras
New Delhi, May 22 (PTI): President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday conferred six Kirti Chakras, including four posthumously, to personnel of the Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police for displaying indomitable courage and extraordinary valour in the line of duty.
Kirti Chakra is India's second-highest peacetime gallantry award.
Col Manpreet Singh of the Sikh Light Infantry, two other army personnel from the Rashtriya Rifles and a Jammu and Kashmir Police officer have been conferred the Kirti Chakra posthumously, according to the list of awardees shared by the government.
President Murmu, who is the Supreme Commander of the armed forces, also presented 33 Shaurya Chakras, including seven posthumously, to the personnel of the armed forces, Central Armed Police Forces and state/Union Territory police during a defence investiture ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Defence Ministry said in a statement.
Maj Malla Rama Gopal Naidu of the Maratha Light Infantry, 56 Rashtriya Rifles, and Major Manjit of the Punjab Regiment, 22 Rashtriya Rifles, received Kirti Chakra.
Rifleman Ravi Kumar, the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry, 63 Rashtriya Rifles; Colonel Manpreet Singh, of the Sikh Light Infantry, 19 Rashtriya Rifles; Naik Dilwar Khan, the Regiment of Artillery, 28 Rashtriya Rifles; and Deputy Superintendent of Police Himayun Muzzammil Bhat of the Jammu and Kashmir Police were conferred India's second-highest peacetime gallantry award posthumously.
The Rashtrapati Bhavan later also shared pictures from the ceremony on its official X handle.
"President Droupadi Murmu conferred Shaurya Chakra upon Squadron Leader Deepak Kumar, Flying (Pilot). His undaunted courageous decision in a life-threatening situation to force land the aircraft on a dark night ensured the safety of a valuable national asset and precluded a probable loss of lives," it said in a post.
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Karnataka government employees demand return of Old Pension Scheme
Bengaluru: Government employees in Karnataka have urged the state government to scrap the New Pension Scheme (NPS) and bring back the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), The New Indian Express reported.
The demand was made by the Karnataka State Government Employees’ Association, whose leaders met senior IAS officer Uma Mahadevan on Monday and submitted a memorandum. The association asked the NPS Review Committee, headed by senior IAS officer Anjum Parvez, to recommend the reintroduction of OPS in the state.
Association president C.S. Shadakshari reportedly said the review committee has already visited Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana where NPS was revoked and OPS re-implemented. The committee is yet to submit its report, but has told the government it will do so soon.
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Shadakshari allegedly said NPS has been in force in Karnataka since 2006. He pointed out that West Bengal never adopted the scheme, while Andhra Pradesh and Telangana replaced NPS with a contributory pension model.
States including Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Jharkhand have already scrapped NPS through cabinet decisions or budget announcements.
“Under NPS, 10% of the employees’ basic salary and DA, and 14% contribution from the state is credited to the employees’ fund. It constitutes 24% of the total which is non-withdrawable. This is invested in the share market and the final amount depends on the ups and downs of the market,” TNIE quoted Shadakshar as saying.
As per the report, he said that by limiting its contribution to 14%, the government could save up to ₹1.87 lakh crore annually if all vacancies are filled, strengthening the case for bringing back the old pension system.
