State employees called off their indefinite strike on Monday after the government agreed in principle to implement the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) with retrospective effect. The strike had begun on March 14, and in the interim, some employee unions had decided to quit the agitation, but a large section of about 20 lakh workforce remained off duty, causing great concern in the sectors where they are needed 24x7. 

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and convenor of employee unions Vishwas Katkar made an announcement to this effect. Katkar said the OPS with retrospective effect (from 2005) was accepted by the government which needed time to study its financial implications.