Options to avail benefits under old pension scheme on death of Government servant during service or his discharge from Government service on account of invalidation or disability for Central Government servants covered under Unified Pension Scheme – reg.
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No.25014/01/2024-AIS-II(Pension)
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
Department of Personnel and Training
North Block, New Delhi
Dated 09 May, 2025
OFFICE MEMORANDUM
Subject:- Grant of option to avail benefits under old pension scheme to All India Service officers covered under the National Pension System in the event of death during service or discharge from service on account of invalidation or disablement.
Sir/Ma’am,
I am directed to say that 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 (NPS) shall, at the time of joining Government service, exercise an option in Form 1 for availing benefits under the NPS or under the CCS (Pension) Rules or the CCS (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 NPS, shall also exercise such an option. The Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare vide O.M. No.57/03/2022-P&PW(B)/8361 dated 26.10.2022 has issued instructions for implementation of rule 10 of the CCS (Implementation of NPS) Rules, 2021.
2. The applicability of the provisions of the aforesaid O.M. dated 26.10.2022 to members of All India Services covered under NPS has been considered by this Department and it has been decided to make the provisions of the aforesaid Office Memorandum of Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare applicable, mutatis-mutandis, to the members of All India Services covered under the National Pension System, till the finalization of All India Services (Implementation of National Pension System) Rules.
3. You are requested that the above provisions regarding the option to be exercised may be brought to the notice of members of All India Services covered under NPS. The detailed procedure is enclosed as Annexure.
Enclosed: (1)
Yours faithfully,
(Bhupinder Pal Singh)
Under Secretary to Government of India
011-2309 4714
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ANNEXURE
Subject:- Option to avail benefits under old pension scheme to All India Service officers covered under the National Pension System in the event of death during service or discharge from service on account of invalidation or disablement.
(1) Every member of service covered under the National Pension System shall, at the time of joining service, exercise an option in Form 1 for availing benefits under the National Pension System or under the All India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958 or the Central Civil Services (Extraordinary Pension) Rules, in the event of his death or boarding out on account of disablement or retirement on invalidation. The members of service, who are already in Government service and are covered by the National Pension System, shall also exercise such option as soon as possible after the issuance of these instructions.
(2) The option shall be exercised to the Head of Office or any other designated authority for the aforesaid purpose who will accept the same after verifying all the facts submitted therein and place it in the service book.
(3) A copy of the option shall be forwarded by the Head of Office or any other designated authority for the purpose to the Central Recordkeeping Agency through the Accounts Officer or the designated authority for the purpose and the Pay and Accounts Officer or State Nodal Officer for their record. The Pay and Accounts Officer or State Nodal Officer shall also make suitable entry in the online system indicating the details regarding the option exercised by the member of service.
(4) (a) (i) Every member of service shall, along with the option in Form 1, also submit details of family in Form 2 to the Head of Office or any other designated authority for the aforesaid purpose;
(ii) if the member of service has no family, he shall furnish the details in Form 2 as soon as he acquires a family.
(b) The member of service shall communicate to the Head of Office or any other designated authority for the purpose any subsequent change in the size of his family, including the fact of marriage of his child;
(c) (i) As and when a disability referred to in the proviso to sub-rule (7) rule 22 of the All India services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958 manifests itself in a child which makes him unable to earn his living, the fact shall be brought to the notice of the Head of Office or any other designated authority for the purpose, duly supported by a Medical Certificate from a Medical Officer, not below the rank of a Civil Surgeon. This may be indicated in by the Head of Office or any other designated authority for the purpose.
(ii) As and when the claim for family pension arises, the legal guardian of the child may make an application, supported by a fresh medical certificate from a Medical Officer, not below the rank of Civil Surgeon, that the child still suffers from the disability.
(d) (i) The Head of Office or any other designated authority for the purpose shall, on receipt of the Form 2, acknowledge receipt of the Form 2 and all further communications received from the member of service in this behalf, countersign it indicating the date of receipt and get it pasted on the service book of the member of service concerned;
(ii) The Head of Office or any other designated authority for the purpose on receipt of communication from the member of service regarding any change in the size of family shall incorporate such a change in Form 2.
(5) (i) The option exercised under paragraph (1) may be revised any number of times by the subscriber before his retirement by making a fresh option intimating his revised option to the Head of Office or any other designated authority for the purpose and on receipt of the revised option, the Head of Office or any other designated authority for the purpose and the Pay and Accounts Officer shall take further action as mentioned in paragraph (2);
(ii) 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;
(iii) 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;
(iv) 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 paragraph (7).
(6) 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.
(7) (i) Where a subscriber who did not exercise an option under paragraph (1) dies before completion of service of fifteen years or within three years of the issuance of these instructions, his family will be granted family pension in accordance with the provisions of the All India services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958 or the Central Civil Services (Extraordinary Pension) Rules, as the case may be, as default option;
(ii) 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 issuance of these instructions without exercising an option under paragraph (1), 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 All India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958 or the Central Civil Services (Extraordinary Pension) Rules, as the case may be, as default option;
(iii) 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.
(8) In cases where the option exercised by the deceased subscriber in accordance with paragraph (1) or the default option in accordance with paragraph (7) for benefit under the All India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958 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 All India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958 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.
(9) A copy of Form 1 and Form 2 is enclosed.
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