Cuttack, July 12: Retired state government employees have accused the administration of discrimination and apathy on the issue of pension benefits to those who have retired after January 1, 2006.

The discrimination charge stems from the fact that the maximum pension of 50 per cent of the last drawn pay was allowed to the employees who had retired after December 1, 2008, after completing 25 years of service and not to those who had retired after January 1, 2006, but before December 1, 2008. Such employees were, however, allowed the benefit only if they had completed 33 years of service before retirement.

Apathy as the government was yet to reconsider the matter despite a direction from the Odisha Administrative Tribunal 17 months ago.

The state finance department had extended the revised pension with retrospective effect from January 1, 2006 on the basis of a resolution passed on January 19, 2009.

Several state government employees who had retired from service between January 1, 2006 and December 1, 2008 challenged the resolution in the tribunal. While allowing the petitions, the tribunal had observed: "Not extending the benefit unfairly to the entire group of retirees, who had retired after January 1, 2006 appears to be unreasonable and amounts to hostile discrimination."

"One group that had retired after December 1, 2008 are treated differently giving the group distinct benefits over the other. Thus there is ample scope for reconsideration on the issue," the tribunal said, while directing the state government on February 2, 2014, "to reconsider the matter and take a positive decision within three months".

Sources said the government had no intention to reconsider the matter because it had been weighing the options of filing a review petition before the tribunal.

"The state government is competent to bring about alteration in any method of fixation of pension to suit the present financial scenario of the state in public interest. In view of the heavy financial burden due to revision in pay, the dates for payment of enhanced pension was fixed as resource availability," a senior finance department official said on the condition of anonymity.

"Besides, this is an issue that should be dealt with by the executive wing of the government only," the official said.

"The finance department resolution of January 19, 2009, on the basis of which the revised pension was extended, deprived me of my pension benefits such as the amount of gratuity, commuted value of pension and full pension which were extended to employees retiring after December 1, 2008," said Bikram Kesari Nayak, who had retired after 25 years of service as accounts member of sales tax tribunal on November 30, 2008.