CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Panchayat Secretaries Association has called for an indefinite strike from February 9, pressing for the fulfilment of various demands, including inclusion under the Tamil Nadu Assured Pension Scheme (TAPS).

Johnbosco Prakash, State president of the association, said that while the government had recently announced an Assured Pension Scheme for government employees, panchayat secretaries were excluded. He pointed out that pension benefits were extended to ICDS employees, who are under a special time scale.

"There is no justification for denying us the assured pension scheme when similarly placed categories have been covered," he said.

The association said 10,843 village panchayat secretaries are administering 12,525 villages across Tamil Nadu. Of them, around 8,500 are members of the association calling for the strike.

If the strike goes ahead, essential village-level services such as tax collection and approval of layouts are likely to be affected, the association warned.

The decision to go on an indefinite strike, the association said, was taken after repeated representations to the government failed to yield results.