NPS Employees Eligible for Retirement Gratuity and Death Gratuity - DoPT Order on 26/08/2016

No.7/5/2012-P&PW(F)/B

Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions

Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare

Lok Nayak Bhavan, Khan Market,

New De1hi-110 003, Dated the 26 August, 2016.

OFFICE MEMORANDUM

Subject : Extension of benefits of ‘Retirement Gratuity and Death Gratuity’ to the Central Government employees covered by new Defined Contribution Pension System (National Pension System) — regarding.

The undersigned is directed to say that the pension of the Government servants appointed on or after 1.1.2004 is regulated by the new Defined Contribution Pension System (known as National Pension System), notified by the Ministry of Finance (Department of Economic Affairs) vide their OM No.5/7/2003-ECB & PR dated 22.12.2003. Orders were issued for payment of gratuity on provisional basis in respect of employees covered under National Pension System on their retirement from Government service on invalidation or death in service, vide this Department’s OM No.38/41/2006-P&PW(A) dated 5.5.2009.

2. The issue of grant of gratuity in respect government employees covered by the National Pension System has been under consideration of the Government. It has been decided that the government employees covered by National Pension System shall eligible for benefit of ‘Retirement gratuity and Death gratuity’ on the same terms and conditions, as are applicable to employees covered by Central Civil Service (Pension) Rule,1972.

3. These orders issue with the concurrence of Ministry of Finance, Department of Expenditure, vide their I.D. Note No.1(4)/EV/2006-II dated 29.07.2016.

4. In their application to the persons belonging to the Indian Audit and Accounts Department, these orders issue after consultation with Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

5. These orders will be applicable to those Central Civil Government employees who joined Government service on or after 1.1.2004 and are covered by National Pension System and will take effect from the same date i.e. 1.1_2004.

Sd/-

(Harjit Singh)

Director (Pension Policy)

Source:http://ccis.nic.in/WriteReadData/CircularPortal/D3/D03ppw/ppwf_26082016.pdf

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New Features Released For NPS Subscribers

Press Information Bureau 

Government of India

Ministry of Finance

New Features Released For NPS Subscribers 

Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) takes various initiatives from time to time in order to simplify and improve the operational issues in National Pension System (NPS) like new functionality development under NPS architecture, simplification of account opening, withdrawal, grievance management etc. In this regard, recently many new functionalities have been released to provide the ease of operation for the benefit of subscribers and nodal offices. These are detailed below:

Functionality released recently for the benefit of NPS subscribers:

S. No	Functionalities	Benefits Description
1	Mobile Application Mobile Application for NPS is now available to the Subscriber’s in ‘Google Play Store’ as ‘NPS by NSDL e-Gov’ for installation and use.	In Mobile App, the Subscriber will be able to raise the request for Transaction Statement for a particular financial year which will be sent to his registered mail ID at end of the day, can view his/her NPS account, latest details of scheme wise units along with latest NAV and the total value of the schemes, details of the last five contributions credited,  can change contact details (Telephone/Mobile no./Email ID), change password/security Question add/modify his/her password and set security question (for password reset) through Mobile App. Notifications, if any, from CRA will be available to the Subscriber. Short messages will be displayed here.
2	Change of address using Aadhaar authentication	The Subscribers can now update/modify their address on their own using Aadhaar based authentication. After logging in CRA, Subscriber will use the menu “Update Address” by providing the Aadhaar No and click on the ‘submit’ button. After which an OTP will be sent to Subscriber’s mobile. Once the Subscriber authenticates by submitting the OTP, address details from Aadhaar system will be fetched and updated in the CRA system. In this process, Subscriber will be able to update permanent as well as correspondence address.
3	Scheme Preference change facility	Once Subscriber opts to change his / her Scheme Preference after logging in, an OTP will be sent to the Subscriber (on their registered mobile number). After authentication is done with OTP, the Subscriber can change their PFM, Asset Class, Allocation Ratio, Scheme Options.
4	Tier II activation through eNPS	Any subscriber having Tier I account in NPS can now activate Tier II account online through eNPS by entering his / her PRAN, DOB and PAN. An OTP will be generated and will be sent to the registered mobile number. Subscriber has to enter the OTP and proceed for Tier II activation under NPS.
5	KYC re-verification using Aadhaar authentication	A Subscriber whose Bank has not confirmed (rejected) his / her KYC verification request can now update the address details and confirm KYC using Aadhaar based authentication. The Subscriber needs to simply go to eNPS site, click on Update details and proceed.
6	Facility to contribute Online	Subscribers are contributing through online mode using eNPS portal of NPS Trust. Now, a facility has been made available to contribute online by Subscribers using IPIN credentials in CRA system. Subscriber can login into the CRA system and click on “Contribution” menu. On submission, the Subscriber will be redirected to eNPS contribution page from where he / she can contribute as per existing process of eNPS.
7	Withdrawal from Tier II account	At present, for Withdrawal from Tier II account, the NPS subscribers are required to visit the branch of the associated Point of Presence (POPs) or Nodal Office. Now, the NPS Subscribers have a facility to initiate withdrawal request from Tier II account using their login credentials and OTP authentication on registered mobile number.
8	Online IPIN generation	The eNPS Subscribers can now access the CRA system immediately after registering without waiting for physical I-PIN to be despatched. Facility is now available where the Subscriber will generate I-PIN instantly and access his / her NPS account.

Currently, NPS and APY together have 1.29 crore subscribers with total Asset under Management (AUM) of 1.34 lakh crore.

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Frequently Asked Question About New Pension Scheme (NPS)

Frequently Asked Question About New Pension Scheme (NPS)

1. What is the New Pension System (NPS)?

The NPS is a new contributory pension scheme introduced by the Central Government for employees joined in Government Service on or after 1.1.2004. During the year 2009, the NPS was kept open for public.

2. Who is covered by the NPS?

a. Employees who have joined central government service on or after 01 January 2004 including Railways, Posts, Telecommunication or Armed Forces (Civil), Autonomous Body, Grant-in-Aid Institution, Union Territory or any other undertaking whose employees were eligible to a pension from the Consolidated Fund of India., earlier.

b. This contribution pension scheme is also open to any Indian citizen between the age of 18 and 55.

3. I am covered by the NPS. Can I contribute to the GPF?

No. The General Provident Fund ( Central Service) Rules, 1960 is not applicable for employees covered by NPS.

4. I Am covered by the NPS. Am I eligible to Gratuity?

No. You will not be eligible to Gratuity.

5. How does the NPS work ?

When you join Government service, you will be allotted a unique Personal Pension Account Number (PPAN). This unique account number will remain the same for the rest of your life. You will be able to use this account from any location and also if you change your job. The PPAN will provide you with two personal accounts:

1. A mandatory Tier-I pension account, and

2. A voluntary Tier-II savings account.

6. What is the difference between Tier-I and Tier-II accounts?

1. Tier-I account: You will have to contribute 10% of your pay in pay band + grade pay + DA into your Tier-I (pension) account on a mandatory basis every month. You will not be allowed to withdraw your savings from this account till you retire at age 60. Your monthly contributions and your savings in this account, subject to a ceiling to be decided by the government, will be exempt from income tax. These savings will only be taxed when you withdraw them at retirement.

2. Tier-II account: This is simply a voluntary savings facility for you. Your contributions and savings in this account will not enjoy any tax advantages. But you will be free to withdraw your savings from this account whenever you wish.

7. How will I contribute to my Tier-I (pension) account?

Every month, the government will deduct 10% of your salary (10% of pay in pay band + grade pay + DA) and automatically transfer this amount to your Tier-I account in your name.

8. Will the Government contribute anything to my Tier-I (pension) account?

Yes. As your employer, the Government will match your contribution (10% of pay in pay band + grade pay + DA) and transfer this amount also to your Tier-I account in your name.

9. Can I contribute more than 10% into my Tier-I account?

Yes. You will be permitted to contribute more than the mandated 10% of pay in pay band + grade pay + DA into your Tier-I account – subject to any ceiling that may be decided by the Government.

10. Will the Government also contribute more than 10% into my Tier-I account?

No. The contribution of the Government will be limited to 10% of your pay in pay band + grade pay + DA.

11. What will happen if I am transferred to another city?

The PPAN number will stay the same and you will be able to use the same account.

12. If I leave Government service before I retire will the Government continue to contribute to my Tier-I account?

No. The 10% contribution by the Government will stop when you leave Government service. However, your savings in your Tier-I and Tier-II accounts will stay in your name and you will be able to continue using these accounts to save for your retirement.

13. What if I die or become permanently disabled during my service?

Additional Relief on death/disability of Government servants covered by the NPS(New Pension Scheme) recruited on or after 1.1.2004 has been discussed in this Office Memorandum No.38/41/06/P&PW(A) Dated 5th May, 2009

14. How will the money be invested?

The money you invest in NPS will be managed by professional fund managers. Currently, you have the choice of picking up one of the following six fund managers: ICICI Prudential Pension Management, IDFC Pension Fund Management, Kotak Mahindra Pension Fund, Reliance Capital Pension Fund, SBI Pension Funds, and UTI Retirement Solutions. In addition to this there are three schemes for which you have to opt.

Scheme A This scheme will invest mainly in Government bonds

Scheme B This scheme will invest mainly in corporate bonds and partly in equity and government bonds

Scheme C This scheme will invest mainly in equity and partly in government bonds and corporate bonds.

15. Can I switch fund managers if I am not happy with my current fund manager?

Yes, you can switch fund managers. PFRDA, the pension fund regulator, will declare the value of your investment every year in April. At that point of time, if you are not satisfied with the performance of your fund manager, you can switch to another fund manager between May 1 and May 15.

16. What are the charges?

This is where NPS wins hands down against all other modes of creating a corpus to generate income after retirement. The fund management charge of NPS is 0.0009% of the value of the investment, every year. In comparison, pension plans of insurance companies charge 0.75-1.75% as fund management charge, which is 800-2000 times higher. The other expenses charged are also very reasonable.

17. I am covered by the NPS. Do the old Pension Rules apply to me?

No. The Central Civil Service Pension Rules (1972) will not be applicable to you.

18. Who will be responsible for the NPS and for protecting my interests?

The Government has set up a new dedicated regulatory authority known as Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). The PFRDA will be responsible for the NPS and for protecting your interests in the NPS in consultation with Ministry of Finance.

19. Who in the Government will issue me a PPAN account and be responsible for the deductions?

When you join Government service, your Drawing and Disbursement Officer (DDO) will instruct you to fill out a NPS form. You will be required to provide your full professional and personal details including details of your nominee in this form. The DDO will issue you the PPAN number(PRAN) and will also be responsible for all administrative matters related to your NPS accounts including deduction of your contributions, transferring your contributions and the matching contribution of the Government to your Tier-I pension account.

20. What will happen to my contributions to my Tier-I account?

Your monthly contributions, and the matching contributions by the Government into your Tier-I account, will be transferred by the Government in your name to a Pension Fund Manager (PFM). The PFM will invest your contributions on your behalf. In this way, your savings will appreciate and grow over time.

21. Will I be permitted to select more than one Pension Fund Manager to manage my savings?

Yes. If you wish, you will be able to spread your savings across multiple PFMs – where a part of your savings are managed by 2 or more PFMs.

22. Am I guaranteed a certain rate of return?

No return is guaranteed as it is in case of EPF and PPF. The amount of money you make is dependant on how well the fund managers chosen by you perform. But, the extremely low charges in NPS sure give it an edge over the the pension plans of insurance companies.

23. Can I contribute more than 10 into my Tier-I account?

Yes. You will be permitted to contribute more than the mandated 10% of Basic+DA+DP into your Tier-I account – subject to any ceiling that may be decided by the Government.

24. Can I withdraw money from the account?

The NPS offers two accounts: tier I and tier II. Currently only tier I account is available. This is a non-withdrawable account and investments in this keep accumulating till you turn 60. Withdrawal is allowed only in case of death, critical illness or if you are building or buying your first house. In case of death the nominee can get 100% of NPS wealth in a lump sum. He can however continue with the NPS in case he wishes to.

25. What will happen to my savings in the Tier-I account when I retire?

You will be able to withdraw 60% of your savings as a lump sum when you retire. You will be required to use the balance 40% of your savings to purchase an annuity scheme from a life insurance company of your choice. The life insurance company will pay you a monthly pension for the rest of your life.

26. Can I use more than 40% of my savings to purchase the annuity?

Yes. You can use more than 40% of your savings to purchase annuity.

27. What will happen to my savings if I decide to retire before age 60?

You will be required to use 80% of your savings in your Tier-I account to purchase the annuity. You will be able to withdraw the balance 20% of your savings as a lumpsum. The other option is , you can continue to invest in NPS on monthly basis and then purchase annuity using 40% of your savings at the age of 60.

28. Will the annuity also provide a family (survivor) pension?

Yes. You will have an option of selecting an annuity which will pay a survivor pension to your spouse.

29. What will happen to my savings in the Tier-I account when I retire?

You will be able to withdraw 60% of your savings as a lumpsum when you retire. You will be required to use the balance 40% of your savings to purchase an annuity scheme from a life insurance company of your choice. The life insurance company will pay you a monthly pension for the rest of your life.

30. What happens at retirement?

NPS by default sets the retirement age at 60. Once you attain that age, you can use the money that has accumulated to generate a regular pension for yourself. In order to do this, you have to compulsorily buy immediate annuity from a life insurance company with 40% of the money that has accumulated. As explained at the beginning, buying an immediate annuity will assure a regular payment for you. Since a minimum of 40% needs to be used to buy an immediate annuity, a maximum of 60% of the money accumulated can be withdrawn. However, unlike other tax-saving instruments like Public Provident Fund (PPF) and Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), wherein the amount at maturity is tax-free, in case of NPS this amount is taxable.

31. Whether a retiring Government servant is entitled for leave encashment after retirement under the NPS?

The benefit of encashment of leave salary is not a part of the retirement benefits admissible under Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972. It is payable in terms of CCS (Leave) Rules which will continue to be applicable to the government servants who join the government service on after 1-1-2004. Therefore, the benefit of encashment of leave salary payable to the governments/to their families on account of retirement/death will be admissible.

32. Why is it mandatory to use 40% of pension wealth to purchase the annuity at the time of the exit (i.e. after the age of 60 years) from NPS?

This provision has been made in the New Pension Scheme with an intention that the retired government servants should get regular monthly income during their retired life.

33. Whether any minimum age or minimum service is required to quit from Tier-I?

Exit from Tier-I can only take place when an inpidual leaves Government service.

34. Whether Dearness Pay is counted as basic pay for recovery of 10% for Tier-I?

As per the New Pension Scheme, the total Dearness Allowance is to be taken into account for working out the contributions to Tier-I. Subsequently, a part of the “Dearness Allowance” has been treated as Dearness Pay. Therefore, this should also be reckoned for the purpose of contributions.

35. Whether contribution towards Tier-I from arrears of DA is to be deducted?

Yes. Since the contribution is to be worked out at 10% of (Pay+ DP+DA), it needs to be revised whenever there is any change in these elements.

36. Who will calculate the interest PAO or CPAO?

The PAO should calculate the interest.

37. What happens if an employee gets transferred during the month? Which office will make deduction of Contribution?

As in the case of other recoveries, the recovery of contributions towards New Pension Scheme for the full month (both inpidual and government) will be made by the office who will draw salary for the maximum period.

38. Whether NPA payable to medical officers will count towards ‘Pay’ for the purpose of working out contributions to NPS?

Yes. Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has clarified vide their O.M. no. A45012/11/97-CHS.V dated 7-4-98 that the Non-Practicing Allowance shall count as ‘pay’ for all service benefits. Therefore, this will be taken into account for working out the contribution towards the New Pension Scheme.

39. Whether a government servant who was already in service prior to 1.1.2004, if appointed in a different post under the Government of India, will be governed by the CCS (Pension) Rules or NPS?

In cases where Government servants apply for posts in the same or other departments and on selection they are asked to render technical resignation, the past services are counted towards pension under CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972. Since the Government servant had originally joined government service prior to 1-1-2004, he should be covered under the CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972.

40. Will I get a tax deduction for the investment?

Yes, under Section 80CCD of the Income Tax Act investments of up to Rs 1 lakh in the NPS can be claimed as tax deductions. Readers should remember that this Rs 1 lakh limit is not over and above the Rs 1 lakh limit available under Section 80C. In fact, the combined limit of investments made under Section 80C, 80CCD and section 80CCC (for investments made into pension plans of insurance companies) is Rs 1 lakh.

Source: AIRF

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ONE MORE CLARIFICATION REGARDING NJCA’s STAND ON NEW PENSION SCHEME (NPS)

ONE MORE CLARIFICATION REGARDING NJCA’s STAND ON NEW PENSION SCHEME (NPS)

QUERY —

Just like the issues of Salary hike, Fitment formula or parity of Pension, the issue of NPS is common to all Central Govt. Departments. In spite of that, this issue appears to be less highlighted. I represent a unit where 80% of the employees belong to NPS and all of us are aware of the pros & cons of the scheme and we are really concerned about our future

Com. S. Das, Circle Secretary, AIPAEA (NFPE), Postal Accounts, Assam Circle, Guwahati.

REPLY —–

Thanks for your concern. The problem of NPS employees are well taken care of by the NJCA. Please see the Press Statement issued by NJCA on 6th July 2016 after taking the decision to defer the strike which is published in confederation website. The last paragraph reads as follows——- “The NJCA particularly notes that the Govt. has set up a separate committee for reviewing the New Pension Scheme, which has been a matter of concern to all employees and workers who are recruited to Govt. services after 01.01.2004.” Please also see the para -12 of the Press Communique issued by the Govt. through Press Information Bureau immediately after the Cabinet decision on 29th June 2016 which reads as ——— “Para-12— The Cabinet also decided to constitute a separate committee to suggest measures for streamlining the implementation of New Pension System (NPS)”. Cabinet decision is taken as it is one of the important demand of the Charter of demands of NJCA submitted to Govt. NJCA shall take follow up action on this particular demand as all of us are very much concerned about this important demand. This demand is directly linked to the policy of the NDA Govt. as all of you are aware that it is the previous NDA Govt. which took a Cabinet decision in 2003 to implement New Contributory Pension Scheme to Central Govt. Employees from 01.01.2004.

M. Krishnan 

Secretary General

Confederation

Source : http://confederationhq.blogspot.in/

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Online Subscriber Registration and contribution under NPS using eNPS platform

Press Information Bureau 

Government of India

Ministry of Finance

Online Subscriber Registration and contribution under NPS using eNPS platform 

In light of Prime Minister’s “Digital India” campaign on promoting e-governance for providing last mile connectivity through extensive use of ICT (Information and Communications Technology) platforms, Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has been pursuing the development and operationalization of online transaction facilities for the prospective as well as existing subscribers of NPS. 

PFRDA introduced eNPS online portal whereby PAN (Permanent Account Number) and savings bank account of new subscribers to NPS who are already customers of the banks are accepted as KYC with active participation of the banks acting as POPs for opening of accounts under NPS. 

PFRDA has received feedback from prospective subscribers and other stakeholders that those who voluntarily seek to use Aadhaar as their document of identity for availing of the eNPS online platform to join NPS should not be deprived of this eNPS facility. 

As the identity and address for such account holders is established through e-KYC facility with the express consent of the subscriber through One Time Password (OTP) and as Aadhaar is a unique number, its use as a KYC document rules out the possibility of opening duplicate retirement (PRAN) accounts. PFRDA has accordingly revisited the issue and believes that enabling eAadhaar in addition to PAN and bank account based KYC for the eNPS platform can reduce the cost and time of operation and ensure wider coverage to the citizens of India under the old age income security schemes and thus help in fulfilling the mandate given to it under the provisions of the PFRDA Act, 2013. 

PFRDA has accordingly modified the eNPS functionality to accept PAN and bank account or eAadhaar as the KYC document for online registration of subscribers under NPS. With the operationalization of this modified eNPS platform, the subscriber will now have the following options for opening of account: 

• Opening of account through any of the Points-of- Presence- Service Provider (POP-SP). 

• Opening of account online using PAN and net banking of the selected bank. In this case KYC verification is done by the Bank. The PRAN gets activated only after KYC verification by bank. 

• Opening of account online using Aadhaar No. and OTP received from UIDAI. In this case, the subscriber can instantly get their PRAN generated and can contribute. 

The eNPS platform using Aadhaar based KYC verification is one of the options for any prospective subscriber to join NPS and it is optional and purely voluntary on the part of the prospective subscriber. 

To register under NPS through eNPS using Aadhaar, the prospective subscriber needs to have Aadhaar Number/Card with access to the mobile number registered with Aadhaar. 

With the use of this Aadhaar based KYC verification, the subscriber would be able to open his NPS account online. The Prospective subscriber will require to follow the undernoted process for opening of NPS account: 

• The prospective subscriber will go to eNPS platform hosted on NPS Trust website www.npstrust.org.in and enter Aadhaar and validate the same using OTP (Sent on the mobile number registered with Aadhaar). 

• Then he will be required to fill up the mandatory details like choice of Pension Fund, Investment Scheme, nominations etc. 

• Address and Date of Birth details will be auto-populated from details available with Aadhaar. 

• He will be required to provide a mobile number and email ID (Mandatory requirement). 

• He will be required to Scan and upload the signature. Subscriber may also upload a scanned photograph, in case he/she wishes to replace the photo obtained from Aadhaar, if the Aadhaar photo is blurred or hazy. 

• He will be required to make online payment (Minimum amount of Rs 500/-).

• After completion of this process, the PRAN will be generated instantly. 

Subscriber will be required to print the form, paste photograph, affix signature and submit the physical form to CRA within a specified period of time while continuing contributing online. 

A prospective subscriber can visit NPS Trust website www.npstrust.org.in and select NPS Online menu to register and contribute to NPS. 

The complete information about eNPS is available on PFRDA website www.pfrda.org.in and also on NPS Trust website www.npstrust.org.in . 

Through this facility, it is expected that the subscriber will have multiple advantages like seamless onboarding experience where he need not visit a Point of Presence and can register from anywhere through an internet connection, contribution with minimum cost of transaction and reduction in errors resulting from various manual activities. 

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BSNL Clarification Regarding Employees Pension Scheme

BHARAT SANCHAR NIGAM LIMITED

(A Govt. of India Enterprise)

NO.500-85/CA-II/BSNL/EPF/2011/Vol.VI

Dated 19.01.2016

To,

The IFAs,

All Circles

BSNL

Sub.: Various Gazette Notifications issued by EPFO from Time to Time

This office has been receiving queries regarding Employees Pension Scheme.

In this regard, it is informed that EPFO vide its letter no. Actuarial / 18(2)2008/ Vol.III/7738 dated 29.08.2014 (copy enclosed) has already clarified that henceforth, EPS will apply only to EPF members whose pay at the time of becoming PF member is not more than Rs.15000/- per month on or after 01.09.2014. The entire employer and employee contribution shall remain in the Provident Fund and no diversion to EPS shall be made for all new PF members on or after 01.09.2014 having salary more than Rs. 15000/- at the time of joining.

In this connection, it is mentioned that this office has already issued instructions to act in accordance with the Gazette Notifications issued by EPFO, from time to time, without waiting for endorsement from the Corporate Office as the non compliance of the EPF guidelines attract penal provisions.

It is further mentioned that suitable action may be taken by the circles for rectification of any erroneous deduction made and deposited with EPFO under the EPS head for the employees covered under the above mentioned letter of EPFO dated 29.08.2014.

All BSNL units are hereby requested to kindly take necessary action in accordance with the instructions issued by EPFO.

Encl: As above

(V.M.Gupta)

Dy. General Manager (CA-III)

EMPLOYEES PROVIDENT FUND ORGANISATION

(Ministry of Labour & Employment, Govt. of India)

Head Office

Bhavishya Nidhi Bhawan, 14, Bhikaiji Came Place, New Delhi – 110 066.

No. Actuarial/18(2)2008/Vol.III/7738

Dated: 29.08.2014

To

All Addl. Central P.F. Commissioners (Zones)

All Regional P.F.Commissioners (In-Charge of Region)

Sub: Gazette Notification providing for increase in wage ceiling under EPS 1995 from Rs. 6500 to Rs.10000/- which shall come into force on and from the 1st day of Sept 2014.

Sir.

This is in continuation of this office circular No Actuary/l 8(2)2008/ Vol.111/5905 dated 23.07.2014 wherein it was informed that the Employees’ Pension Scheme 1995 is being amended to increase the wage ceiling from Rs.6500/- per month to Rs. 15,000/- per month in the Employees’ Pension Scheme, 1995.

2. The proposed amendments have since been noti red vide Gazette Notification No. GSR 609 (E) which shall come into force on and from the 1st day of September, 2014 (Copy of notification enclosed).

3. Accordingly, with effect from the 1st day of September, 2014, the pensionable salary for all cases of exit/death on or after 01.09.2014, for calculating pension shall be the average monthly pay drawn during the contributory period of service in the span of 60 months preceding the date of death/exit from the membership of the Employees” Pension Fund. The pensionable salary shall be calculated on pro-rata basis separately for the period up to 31.08.2014 up to wage ceiling of R.6,500/- per month and for the subsequent period upto the wage ceiling of Rs.15,000 per month. Similarly. the Withdrawal Benefit shall be based on the weighted wages at different wage ceilings. As already informed necessary amendments in the applicable on software are being carried out and the necessary software shall be released by I.S. Division at the earliest.

4. Accordingly, requisite steps may be taken so hat full details of wages for 60 months are available to settle the pension claims in accordance with the proposed modification. In this regard, Form 10-C & Form 10 D are also being redesigned to incorporate the above changes and shall be circulated soon. However in the meantime wage details be obtained by attaching additional sheet or giving details of 60 months of wages along with Form 10-D in respect of all members having date of exit from EPS 1995.

5. The members having date of exit from EPS, 1995 on account of superannuation/option date for commencement of early pension etc. prior to 01.09.2014 shall get Pensionary benefits on the basis of the existing pensionable salary calculations ie by taking 12 months average.

6. Further, with effect from 01.09.2014, wherever employer & employees have opted to contribute on salary exceeding Rs.6,500/- per month such employer & employees will have to exercise a fresh option to contribute on salary exceeding Rs.15,000/- per month subject to the condition that such member would have to contribute the Government’s share of contribution @ 1.16% on the salary exceeding Rs.15,000/- per month from his/her share of contribution. The fresh Option is to be exercised within a period of 6 months. It is essential to know with certainty the employee who are currently permitted to contribute to EPS on higher wages, so that fresh options can be called for. Accordingly, you may immediately flag all such cases of contribution on salary exceeding Rs.6,500/- per month and obtain fresh options in a time bound manner. It may be made known to the existing optees that if the fresh option is not exercised it shall be deemed that the employee has not Opted in allowing contribution over age ceiling and the contributions to Employees Pension Fund made above the wage ceiling in respect of the member shall be diverted to the Provident Fund account of the memer along with interest as declared under the Employees’ Provident Fund Scheme from time to time.

7. Furthermore, with effect from 01.09.2014 the provisions for contribution on higher salary has been deleted and as such no new options can be allowed to any member of EPS, 1995 on and after 01.09.2014.

8. As EPS will henceforth apply only to EPF members whose pay at the time of becoming PF member is not more than Rs. l5,000/- per month on or after 01.09.2014 the entire employer and employee contribution shall remain in the Provident Fund and no diversion to EPS shall be made for all new PF members on or after 01.09.2014 having salary more than 15,000/- at the time of joining. This must be ensured as any negligence on this issue may lead to unwarranted litigations.

9. The above actions may be taken without any deviation and officer in charge shall be responsible for compliance of above directions under his jurisdiction.

(This issues with the approval of CPFC)

Yours faithfully,

Sd/-

(CHANDRAMAULI CHAKRABORTY)

REGIONAL E.F.COMMISSIONER-I (Pensions)

Click to view the Copy of the BSNL Clarification

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New Pension Scheme(NPS) : Analysis of the Issues by the 7th Pay Commission

New Pension Scheme : Analysis of the Issues by the 7th Pay Commission

10.3.12 The Commission has examined these concerns raised by the stakeholders. The Commission also interacted with Chairman, PFRDA, and representatives of the Department of Pensions and Pensioners Welfare (DPPW), Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Department of Expenditure (DoE) and the Department of Financial Services (DFS).

10.3.13 In so far as the future value of pension under NPS is concerned, the Commission notes that this would depend upon a combination of factors:

(i) performance of the invested fund, which in turn would depend on the asset mix of the investment and general economic situation of the country,

(ii) cost of financial intermediation,

(iii) contribution rates,

(iv) period of contribution,

(v) performance of the fund manager and

(vi) development of the annuity market.

Grievances against the NPS

The NPS has now been in effect for over 10 years. During this period, there has been perceptible progress in putting together the architecture and providing information to subscribers. Major concerns, however, remain. Broadly, these are as under:

i. The larger federations and staff associations advocated scrapping the NPS on the ground that it discriminates between two sets of government employees.

ii. Individuals covered under NPS have pleaded for reverting to the OPS on the grounds of uncertainty regarding the actual value of their future pension in the face of market related risks.

iii. Individuals have pointed out that under NPS, the effective salary becomes less since the employee has to mandatorily contribute 10 percent of pay towards the pension fund.

iv. Individuals have stated that grievance redressal facility is not effective and consultation with stakeholders has been non-existent. This communication gap has generated insecurity in the minds of stakeholders including staff and Group ‘A’ officers of Central Government as well as All India Service Officers.

v. Associations have complained that Family Pension after the death of the employee is not ensured in the NPS. Moreover, if an employee dies at an early age, the family would suffer since annuity from the contribution would be grossly inadequate.

vi. Individuals have complained that NPS subscribers have no recourse to GPF for their savings. Their personal savings (10% of salary) are considered part of a larger corpus. It has been pointed out that the justify approach would be to consider only government’s contribution and the returns earned on it as the effective amount available for purchase of annuities.

vii. Associations have pointed out that unlike the facility under GPF, it is not possible to take refundable advances under NPS, even to meet obligatory social expenditure. This forces employees towards increased indebtedness as they have to borrow from elsewhere.

viii. Grievances also relate to tax treatment under NPS. While contributions and accumulations in NPS are exempt, lump sum withdrawals from NPS at any time are taxable at par with any other income. In addition, there is a service tax liability on any amount utilised for purchase of annuity.

ix. It has been pointed out that though NPS became effective from 2004, detailed instructions were issued only in late 2009 and in many cases the credit of contributions began from 2012. In the case of AIS officers in some States, contributions by the concerned State Government are yet to be fully made and deployed. The net result of this has been that contributions for the period 2004-2012 have not been made in full or have earned simple interest and did not get any market linked returns. Because of the prevailing confusion, contributions made by some AIS officer have been returned to them without interest. This will have a huge impact on the eventual corpus as the benefits of compounding were not available for the first 8 -9 years.

x. Individuals, in their presentation before the Commission, stated that annuities under NPS have no compensation for inflation unlike dearness relief under OPS. Further, in the case of OPS there is a revision in basic pension itself after every Pay Commission. This too is not available in respect of annuity of NPS subscribers.

xi. It has been pointed out that government employees are not given freedom of choice in choosing their fund manager based on performance and track record as the contributions are divided in a pre-specified ratio among selected Pension Fund Managers. It has been stated that government employees have no say in asset allocation of their money.

xii. Concerns were raised that the contribution of 10% + 10% will not be sufficient to create a corpus which provides reasonable assurance that pension will be 50 percent of the last pay drawn.

Source: http://7cpc.india.gov.in/

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New Pension Scheme : Clarification of Deferred withdrawal of lump sum – PFRDA

PENSION FUND REGULATORY AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

1st Floor, ICADR Building, Plot No. 6, Vasant Kunj Institutional Area, Phase – II, New Delhi – 110070

CIRCULAR

PFRDA/2015/24/EXITS/1

October 29, 2015

To,

NPS Trust, All POP’s, Aggregators, CRA,Central, State Governments and All Subscribers

Dear Sir/Madam,

Sub: Clarification of Deferred withdrawal of lump sum

PFRDA (Exits and Withdrawals from Nation Pension System) Regulations 2015 provides option to subscriber to defer withdrawal of lump sum (60%) up to the age of 70 years.

Under the Deferred withdrawal facility, the subscribers at the time Of exit from National Pension System (NPS) can exercise an option to defer the withdrawal of eligible lump sum withdrawal and stay invested in the NPS. Subscriber has an option to withdraw the deferred lump sum amount in maximum ten annual installments up to the age of 70 years or withdraw the entire amount at once by giving 15 days advance notice during such a period of deferment.

If no such notice is given, the accumulated pension wealth would be automatically monetized and credited to his bank account upon attaining the age of 70 years.

This is for the information of all concerned. The circular also is being placed on PFRDA website at http://www.pfrda.org.in, NPS Trust website www.npstrust.org.in and CRA website at http://www.npscra.nsdl.co.in.

Yours faithfully,

Sd/-

Subroto Das

Chief General Manager

Source: http://pfrda.org.in/

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Exemption of Railway Employees from New Pension Scheme/National Pension System (NPS)-reg

NFIR

National Federation of Indian Railwaymen

3, CHELMSFORD ROAD, NEW DELHI. 1 1O 055

Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC)

International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF)

No. IVA/NPS/PFRDA BILL/Part I

Dated 24.10.2015

The Suresh Prabhu,

Hon’ble Minister for Railways.

(Railway Board)

Rail Bhavan

New Delhi

Sub: Exemption of Railway Employees from New Pension Scheme/National Pension System (NPS)-reg

Ref: GS/NFIR’s letter No. IVA/NPS/PFRDA BILL dated 26/08/2015 addressed to the Railway Board (MS)

The Government of India had introduced New Pension Scheme (NPS) applicable to the Central Government employees appointed on or after 01/01/2004. Under the scheme, 10% of the Pay of each employee is deducted from his/her salary every month and equal amount is contributed by the employer and credited to the NPS Trust controlled by the PFRDA. However those who were appointed prior to 01/01/2004 have been covered under “Liberalized Pension Scheme” and their pensionary benefits like Pension, Family Pension etc., are guaranteed by the Government. While the New Pension Scheme now being re-named as “National Pension System” is not applicable to Defence Forces, the same had unfortunately been made applicable for Railway employees with effect from 01/01/2004.

2. The duties, responsibilities, risk involved, remoteness, arduous and hazardous conditions of railway employee are akin to that of Army Personnel and therefore NFIR has been urging upon the Government as well the Railway Ministry to exempt Railway employees from New Pension Scheme. The Federation was compelled to take strike ballot on pending demands, among them “Abolition of New Pension Scheme” was one of the most important issues. Responding to the demands, the Railway Board (CRB, MS, FC) had held separate meeting with the Federations on 7’th February 2014, wherein the justification for exempting railway employees from New Pension Scheme was discussed, consequently the Railway Ministry had agreed to approach the Government. Hon’ble MR Shri Mallikarjun Kharge had sent communication to the Finance Minister on 29th March, 2014 explaining case and justifying that the Railways deserves to be exempted from NPS. Unfortunately, there has been no positive decision from the Government till now.

3. In this context, NFIR also brings to your kind notice that the JCM (Staff Side) as well the Federations have decided to launch industrial action as the Government has not responded to the charter of demands of Central Government employees. During the meeting with you on 6th August,20l5, we have also mentioned some of the issues continued unresolved when CRB and Member Staff were present.

Railway Board (CRB, NPS & FC) held another meeting with the Federations on lst October 2015 on eight short listed demands which include “Exemption of Railway Employees from New Pension Scheme”. After discussions, the Railway Board has agreed to pursue the case with the Government again. In this connection, NFIR has earlier sent a communication with full details to the Railway Board (MS) vide letter No. IV/NPS/PFRDA BILL dated 26/08/2015 (copy enclosed) to facilitate Railway Ministry to prevail upon the Government to grant exemption to Railway from NPS. Federation is confident that the Railway Ministry is taking necessary action on the inputs given by the NFIR for presenting the case before you.

4. It is, however, shocking to note that a notice has been issued by the National Pension System Trust (NPS Trust) to all the subscribers under NPS that the Trust will start recovering fee/charge @ 0.01% of the AUM on daily accrual basis to meet its expenditure w.e.f. 1st November 2015. This provocative and arbitrary decision has generated deep sense of disappointment and anger among railway employees”

ln view of the above, NFIR invites your kind attention to the communication dated 29th March 2014 of your predecessor (Shri Mallikarjun Kharge) to the Finance Minister and in-puts given by the Federation vide letter dated 26/08/2015 for taking special initiative at the level of Government for exempting Railway employees from “New Pension Scheme” (NPS) as a special case.

With regards.

Yours Sincerely

(Dr.M.Raghavaiah)

General Secretary

Source: NFIR

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NFIR Demands Scrapping of New Pension Scheme (NPS) and grant of “One Rank – One Pension” to Railway Employees.

NFIR

National Federation of Indian Railwaymen

3, CHELMSFORD ROAD, NEW DELHI – 110 055

Affiliated to :

Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC)

lnternational Transport Workers Federation (ITF)

Dated:06/09/2015

Press Statement of Dr.M. Raghavaiah, General Secretary, NFIR

The National Federation of Indian Railwaymen while welcoming the Government’s announcement for introduction of “One Rank – One Pension” for ex-servicemen, urges upon the Hon’ble Prime Minister to take steps for granting similar pensionary benefits to the Railway employees also.

The duties of Railway employees are hazardous, risky and complex. They work at over 8,000 Railway stations covering the Railway Tracks of over 65,000 kms. Over 85% of Railway employees perform duties at remote places, extremist infested areas and places where no township or medical or drinking water or schooling facilities exist. Like Army, Railway employee cannot leave their post till another employee takes over the charge. The Railway tracks are maintained by the employees facing inclement weather conditions and working under open sky akin to that of defence personnel. On an average 800 Railway employees get killed per year in the course of performing duties and nearly 3000 sustain injuries while on duty.

For ensuring uninterrupted services the Railway employees are required to be on high alertness at all times. The Railway employees maintain high degree of discipline and efficiency to ensure that the Rail Transport System functions without interruption. The Chairman of the Railway Safety Review Committee” Justice H.R. Khanna (Retired Supreme Court Judge) had observed in his report that the working of the Railway system is more like armed forces, thus historically the Indian Railways functions differently from other Government Institutions.

The uniqueness in duties being performed by Railway employees is unmatched as these employees are involved in safe and efficient train operations more particularly the statf like Train Controllers, Station Masters, Electric Signal Maintainer. Technical Staff, Loco pilot. Guards. Technical Supervisors whose duties and responsibilities are similar to that of defence personnel.

Indian Railways plays crucial role not only for the economic development of the country but also for ensuring rapid movement of Army, Military Hardware to the Borders and rises to the occasions when the security of the country is at stake. Railway employees face war like situation in their day-to-day working i.e. breaches, bandhs. civil disobedience movements. accidents etc.. and ensure maintaining the supply line all throughout.

It is unfortunate that the Railway employees have been subjected to injustice by governing them under New Pension Scheme with effect from January, 2004, Railwaymen’s demand for abolition of New Pension Scheme is unresolved even though Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge had recommended for exemption of Railways from New Pension Scheme.

I therefore, appeal to the Prime Minister of India to scrap New Pension Scheme in Railways and grant “One Rank – One Pension” Scheme to the Railway employees as has been agreed to in the case of retiring defence personnel.

Sd/-

(Dr. M. Raghavaiah)

General Secretary

Source: NFIR 

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Reactivation of PRAN post exit from NPS

PENSION FUND REGULATORY AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

PFRDA/2015/19/CSG/1

Date: 30th June, 2015

All Central Government Ministries & Departments/ State Governments

PrAOs, PAOs, CDDOs, NCDDOs & other CG Nodal offices;

DTAs, DTOs, DDOs & other SG Nodal offices

Autonomous Bodies

Subject: Reactivation of PRAN post exit from NPS

PFRDA has been receiving requests from various government nodal offices to reactivate the PRANs for credit of missing NPS contributions, wherein withdrawal requests have already been settled towards final payment to the subscribers.

Currently, the exit process is initiated with the generation of claim ID six months prior to the date of superannuation. As per PFRDA Exit & Withdrawal Regulations 2015, the employee’s and employer’s contributions of last three months prior to superannuation shall not be uploaded in the NPS account but would be credited to the some other account of the subscriber, directly by the employer. During the withdrawal process which stretches over 6 months, both the subscriber and the nodal office have sufficient time to ensure and to confirm that all the missing contributions have been uploaded in the respective PRAN.

In light of the above, PFRDA shall not entertain any such request forthwith, for uploading contributions of arrears/ missing credits after final settlement of exit/ withdrawal of the subscribers and consequent closure of their NPS account. Henceforth, missing credits, if any, should be settled mutually between the subscriber and the Nodal office as per their internal administrative process and outside the NPS architecture, as is currently applicable to last three months contributions before superannuation in line with the guidelines issued by PFRDA in this regard.

Therefore, all government nodal offices are instructed to ensure uploading of all the pending contributions in the PRANs, before initiating/ processing/forwarding the withdrawal requests to the CRA and take necessary action as per this circular.

Sd/-

Ashish Kumar

General Manager

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5 Lakhs Central government employees rally for scrapping of NPS, merger of DA

Central Government employees have decided to hold a demonstration near Parliament on April 28 for bringing to notice their long-pending demands such as scrapping of the new pension scheme, merger of dearness allowance, and putting a stop to outsourcing, among others.

According to a release, the demonstration would press the long-pending demands of Central Government employees including scrapping the New Pension Scheme (NPS), merger of dearness allowance (DA) in Pay, redressal of pending anomalies of the Sixth Central Pay Commission, interim relief, scrapping foreign direct investment, and public private partnership schemes, filling of vacancies, stopping outsourcing, enhancement of the limit of bonus, and on the other side various amendments in labour laws, among others.

On the call of the National Joint Council of Action (NJCA), the Convener of NCJCA Shiva Gopal Mishra said in a release various associations will participate in the demonstration including the All-India Railway Men’s Federation, the National Federation of Indian Railwaymen, the All-India Defence Employees’ Federation, the Indian National Defence Workers’ Federation, the National Federation of Postal Employees’ Federation, the Federation of National Postal Organisation, and the Confederation of Central Government Employees. Besides, some state employees will also participate in the demonstration.

Mishra further said if the Government does not take the “united movement seriously” to resolve the issues, they would be forced to take precipitate action for which the Centre would be responsible.

Source:www.thehindubusinessline.com

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Railway union toughened stands on scrapping of NPS and DA Merger

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s persuasive pitch to railway employees unions has cleared the decks for more FDI inflows and private capital in national transporter that may be reflected in the rail budget.

After Modi’s statement that there would be no privatization of railways, the workers’ unions have softened their stand over several issues including FDI in the transport behemoth. However, the unions are sticking to demands relating to scrapping of new pension scheme (NPS) and DA mergers.

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