LUCKNOW, Sept. 24 -- The Rajkiya Nurses Sangh, Uttar Pradesh (RNS UP) has alleged that a large number of nursing officers are deprived of old pension scheme despite being eligible according to the government rules. Ashok Kumar, general secretary of the RNS UP in a letter to the principal secretary health said, "At least 489 employees are denied order for old pension despite eligibility. Nursing staff recruited against vacancies advertised prior to 2004 are eligible to be covered under the Old Pension Scheme, but the requisite official order has not yet been issued for all eligible personnel in the nursing cadre." Out of a total of 755 eligible nursing staff members, official orders have been issued for only 266 while the remaining 489 employees are still deprived of the order solely due to delays at the departmental level. All concerned officials have been apprised of this serious matter via formal correspondence. A demand has been raised to urgently issue the official order for the remaining 489 eligible nursing staff members-whose cases were stalled due to departmental delays-and to ensure they receive the benefits of the Old Pension Scheme, said Kumar. htc...