Options to avail benefits under old pension scheme on death/Discharge of Govt servant under NPS

No. – 57/03/2022-P&PW(B)/8361
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare

***

3rd Floor, Lok Nayak Bhavan, Khan Market,
New Delhi, Dated the 26^th October, 2022

OFFICE MEMORANDUM

Subject: Options under Central Civil Services (Implementation of National Pension System) Rules, 2021 to avail benefits under old pension scheme on death of Government servant covered under National Pension System during service or his discharge from service on account of invalidation or disablement -reg.

The undersigned is directed to say that Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare has notified the Central Civil Services (Implementation of National Pension System) Rules, 2021 to govern service related matters of Central Government civil employees covered under National Pension System. Rule 10 of these rules deals with option to be exercised by every Central Government employee covered under National Pension System for availing benefits under National Pension System or old pension scheme in the event of death of Government servant during service or his discharge on the ground of invalidation or disablement.

2. In accordance with rule 10 of the Central Civil Services (Implementation of National Pension System) Rules, 2021, every Government servant covered under the National Pension System shall, at the time of joining Government service, exercise an option in Form 1 for availing benefits under the National Pension System or under the Central Civil Service (Pension) Rules or the Central Civil Service (Extraordinary Pension) Rules in the event of his death or boarding out on account of disablement or retirement on invalidation. Government servants, who are already in Government service and are covered by the National Pension System, shall also exercise such option.

3. The option shall be exercised to the Head of Office who will accept the same after verifying all the facts submitted therein and place it in the service book. A copy of the option shall be forwarded by the Head of Office to the Central Recordkeeping Agency through the Drawing and Disbursing Officer and the Pay and Accounts Officer for their record. The Pay and Accounts Officer shall also make suitable entry in the online system indicating the details regarding the option exercised by the Government servant.

4. Every Government servant shall, along with the option in Form 1, also submit details of family in Form 2 to the Head of Office. The Head of Office shall, on receipt of the Form 2, acknowledge receipt of the Form 2 and all further communications received from the Government servant in this behalf, countersign it indicating the date of receipt and get it pasted on the service book of the Government servant concerned. The Head of Office on receipt of communication from the Government servant regarding any change in the size of family shall also incorporate such a change in Form 2.

5. The option exercised may be revised at any number of times by the Subscriber before his retirement by making a fresh option intimating his revised option to the Head of Office. On receipt of the revised option, the Head of Office and the Pay and Accounts Officer shall take further action as mentioned above.

6. A Subscriber who is discharged on invalidation or disability shall be given an opportunity to submit a fresh option at the time of such discharge. Where such Subscriber does not exercise a fresh option or is not in a position to exercise fresh option at the time of discharge, the option already exercised by the Subscriber shall become operative. Where no option was exercised by the Subscriber and the Subscriber is not in a position to exercise an option at the time of discharge, his case will be regulated in accordance with para 9 below.

7. In the case of death of a Subscriber while in service, the last option exercised by the deceased Subscriber before his death shall be treated as final and the family shall have no right to revise the option.

8. Where a Subscriber who did not exercise an option and dies before completion of service of fifteen years or within three years of the notification of Central Civil Services (Implementation of National Pension System) Rules, 2021, his family will be granted family pension in accordance with the provisions of the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules or the Central Civil Services (Extraordinary Pension) Rules, as the case may be, as a default option.

9. Where a Subscriber is discharged from Government service on invalidation or disability before completion of service of fifteen years or within three years of the notification of these rules without exercising an option, and is also not in a position to exercise an option at the time of discharge, he will be granted invalid pension or disability pension in accordance with the provisions of the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules or the Central Civil Services (Extraordinary Pension) Rules as the case may be, as default option;

10. In all other cases, where no option was exercised by the Subscriber, the claim of the Subscriber on discharge from the service and that of the family on death of the Subscriber, shall be regulated in accordance with the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (Exits and Withdrawals under National Pension System) Regulations, 2015, as default option.

11. In cases where the option exercised by the deceased Subscriber or the default option for benefit under the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules or the Central Civil Services (Extraordinary Pension) Rules becomes infructuous on account of non-availability of an eligible member of the family for grant of family pension under the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules or the Central Civil Services (Extraordinary Pension) Rules, such option would be deemed to have become invalid and the benefits admissible under the National Pension System shall be granted to the legal heir(s) of the employee in accordance with the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (Exits and Withdrawals under National Pension System) Regulations, 2015.

12. Copy of Form 1 and Form 2 are also enclosed.

13. All Ministries/Departments are requested that the above provisions regarding option to be exercised under Central Civil Services (Implementation of National Pension System ) Rules, 2021 may be brought to the notice of the Government employees covered under NPS, Head of Offices and personnel dealing with the NPS matters in the Ministry/ Department and attached /subordinate offices thereunder, for strict implementation.

(S. Chakrabarti)
Under Secretary to the Govt. of India

Encl. as above.

To

All Ministries/Departments/Organisations,

(As per standard list)

Form 1

OPTION TO AVAIL BENEFITS IN CASE OF DEATH OR DISCHARGE ON INVALIDATION OR DISABILITY OF GOVERNMENT SERVANT / SUBSCRIBER DURING SERVICE

[See rule 10 )

…………………………………………………………………………………………… , hereby exercise

option that in the event of my discharge from service on the account of disability or retirement from service on account of invalidation or Death during service, benefits under CCS(Pension) Rules, 1972 or CCS(Extraordinary Pension) Rules, 1939 as the case may be, may be paid to me or my family.

OR

* I, ……………………………………………………………………………………………. , hereby exercise option that in the event of my discharge from service on the account of disability or retirement from service on account of invalidation or Death during service, benefits may be paid to me or my family, as the case may be, based on the accumulated pension corpus in the Individual Pension Account under the National Pension System in accordance with the CCS( Implementation of National Pension System) Rules, 2021.

Signature of Government servant / Subscriber
Name
Designation——-
Office in which employed———
Telephone No.

Place and date:

This option supersedes any other option made by me earlier.

* Completely strike out the benefits for which option is not intended to be made.

(To be filled in by the Head of Office or authorised Gazetted Officer)

Received the option dated ………………….. , under CCS( Implementation of National Pension System) Rules, 2021

made by Shri/Smt./Kumari……………………………………………

Designation………………………………………..

Office………………………………………

Entry of receipt of option has been made in page ………………… Volume…………….. of Service Book.

Signature,
Name and Designation of Head of Office or authorized Gazetted Officer with seal
Date of receipt……………………………………….

The receiving Officer will fill the above information and return a duly signed copy of the complete Form to the Government servant who should keep it in safe custody so that it may come into the possession of the beneficiaries in the event of his/her death/ invalidation.

FORM 2

Details of Family
[See rule 10(3)]

Important

1. The original Form submitted by the Government servant / Subscriber is to be retained. All additions or alterations are to be communicated by the Government servant/retired Government servant / Subscriber alongwith the supporting documents and the changes shall be recorded in this Form under the signature of Head of Office in Col 7. No new Form will substitute the original Form. However, the retiring Subscriber should submit the details of family afresh at the time of retirement.

2. The details of spouse, all children and parents (whether eligible for family pension or not) and disabled siblings (brothers and sisters) may be given.

3. The Head of Office shall indicate the date of receipt of communication regarding addition or alteration in the family in the ‘Remarks’ column. The fact regarding disability or change of marital status of a family member should also be indicated in the ‘Remarks’ column.

4. Wife and husband shall include judicially separated wife and husband.

5. The retired Government servant shall attach the details of change in family structure after retirement in the proforma prescribed under Dept. of & P.W., 0.M No. 1 (23)-PAP. W/91-E, dated the 4th November, 1992.

6. Copies of birth certificates to be attached. Copies of any other relevant certificates, if available, should be attached.

Details of family members:

I hereby undertake to keep the particulars up to date by notifying to the Head of Office above any addition or alteration.

*Providing Aadhaar No. is optional. However, if it is provided, consent to link it to Bank Account and also for auth tication of identity from UIDA1 for pension related purpose only, is presumed.