Immediate pension for kin of 'missing' govt employees: Jitendra Singh

NEW DELHI: Union minister of state for personnel Jitendra Singh on Monday said that the latest relaxation in pension rules to allow immediate release of family pension benefits to the kin of National Pension System-covered government employees who go missing, will bring relief to staffers serving in difficult areas like Jammu and Kashmir, northeast region and areas affected by Left-wing extremism.
Prior to the change in rules, the next of kin of a Central government employee covered by NPS would not receive family pension if the latter went missing, until he was declared dead in accordance with the law or till seven years had passed after he became untraceable.
As per the office memorandum dated April 28, 2022, the benefits of family pension will now be immediately paid to the family of the missing staffer in all cases, irrespective of whether he is covered by CCS (Pension) Rules, CCS (Extraordinary Pension) Rules or NPS. In case the missing employee re-appears and resumes service, the amount paid as family pension during the intervening time of his missing period can be accordingly deducted from his salary.
While CCS (Pension) Rules and CCS (EOP) Rules apply to government servants appointed on or before 31.12.2003, all new recruits to government service on or after 01.01.2004 are mandatorily covered by NPS. An exception is available in the event of death or invalidation/disablement of NPS-covered, serving employees, with the same benefits applicable as in the case of employees covered by CCS (Pension) Rules and CCS (Extraordinary Pension) Rules. Now this parity has been extended to cover employees who go missing while in service.
Referring to the revised family pension rules, Singh on Monday said that this would provide a huge relief, particularly in regions where instances of government employees going missing are reported more frequently. He said, cases of abduction of central government employees working in violence-prone areas have come to the fore and the pension rules were revised to instil confidence in staffers serving in difficult areas and protect them and their family interests.
The MoS said the pension rules were revised in consultation with the department of personnel and training, department of financial services and department of expenditure after considering the hardship faced by the families of NPS-covered government servants who go missing during service.