Centre brings parity in gratuity for NPS, UPS pensioners
The Personnel Ministry has brought parity between National Pension Scheme pensioners and Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) pensioners in the eligibility of gratuity and both the categories of pensioners will now be eligible for ₹25 lakh gratuity. The Ministry has also given the employees the option to avail benefits under the old pension scheme (OPS) on death during service or discharge from government service on account of invalidation or disability.
Briefing about the decisions, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry Jitendra Singh said the move addressed a significant demand of government staff and brings parity in retirement benefits, and the new provision reflected the government's commitment to ensure social security for all categories of employees under the National Pension System.
The Ministry has issued two orders on these matters. 'UPS has been notified as an option under the NPS. Therefore, it has been decided that the Central government civil employees who opt for UPS under NPS shall also be eligible for option for availing benefits under UPS or the CCS (Pension) Rules, 2021 or the CSS (Extraordinary Pension) Rules, 2023 in the event of death of the government servant during service or his discharge on the ground of invalidation or disablement,' the order said.
Outdated provisions
Dr. Singh added that the Centre had taken pride in doing away with redundant rules rather than creating new ones. He said over 1,600 outdated provisions — many of them colonial-era legacies — were repealed. 'The decision to make job interviews non-evaluative for certain categories, announced from the Red Fort by the Prime Minister and implemented nationwide by January 2016 was flagged as a key move towards fairness and transparency in recruitment,' he added.
He said the amendments to the Prevention of Corruption Act sought to balance accountability with protection for well-performing officials, while changes in how cases of unfair means in examinations are handled have been aimed at protecting students from the fallout of organised cheating rackets. 'We are here to punish the racketeers, not the students,' the Minister said.
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