Pensions

BJP Himachal Pradesh Media In-charge Karan Nanda on Saturday lashed out at the Congress-led state government for increasing the state's debt to one lakh crore and demanded that it reveal where the funds are being utilised. While addressing a press conference in Shimla, Nanda said that despite receiving Rs 11,000 crore in financial aid from the central government for various schemes, the state government is using that money for salaries and pensions instead of development. He stated that the Congress-led government had failed to deliver on development despite taking loans and was instead blaming the central government. He further pointed out that with the central government's Rs 11,000 crore funding, the state government had been using Rs 1,000 crore each month just to pay the salaries of employees. Nanda mentioned that the state government has failed to pay salaries and pensions on time, leading to protests by employees as well as the public. He added that during BJP National ...

More than 1 lakh babies have opted for the NPS Vatsalya scheme, which was launched in September last year to allow parents to save for their children by investing in pension accounts, according to a senior official. Pension Fund Regulatory & Development Authority (PFRDA) Chairperson Deepak Mohanty on Wednesday said the regulator is doing a lot of outreach and also expanding the intermediary base as pension penetration is low in the country. "New born babies can also opt for NPS. I am happy to say that since the product was launched by the finance minister in September last year, we have more than 1 lakh babies opting for NPS Vatsalya," he said at an event in the national capital. He was participating in a discussion at the Civis' Public Consultation Awards 2025 function organised by non-profit platform Civis. Under the NPS Vatsalya scheme, all minor citizens up to the age of 18 years are eligible to open an account. The minimum monthly contribution that can be made by a parent or .

The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a contempt notice to the Punjab chief secretary for failing to implement a three-decade-old pensionary benefits scheme in the state. Observing the court couldn't be taken for a ride, a bench of Justices Abhay Oka and N Kotiswar Singh asked the chief secretary to answer why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him for the violation of the undertakings. "In spite of repeated undertakings given to the high court, compliance has not been made by the state government. Therefore, we issue showcause notice to K A P Sinha, chief secretary, State of Punjab calling upon him to showcause why action under the Contempt Of Courts Act 1971 (both civil and criminal) should not be initiated against him," the court said. The bench said if the official felt some other officer was at fault, he was "free to file an affidavit" giving the names or other details of the officers responsible for the court to initiate action. The matter would be heard aga

The Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) has been introduced as an option under the National Pension System (NPS) by the Central Government

Social security remains a fundamental pillar of India's commitment to social justice, Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday said, noting that its coverage increased to 48.8 per cent of the total population in 2024 from 24.4 per cent in 2021. Addressing the inaugural session of the Regional Dialogue on Social Justice 2025, Mandaviya said, "The unemployment rate has declined from 6 per cent in 2017-18 to 3.2 per cent in 2023-24, while the Labour Force Participation Rate has increased from 49.8 per cent to 60.1 per cent". These positive indicators underscore the impact of our reforms and initiatives. Labour reforms have been a foundation of India's efforts to modernise its workforce policies, he added. The consolidation of 29 labour laws into four simplified Labour Codes has promoted labour welfare, universalised wages and social security, and ensured safer working conditions, he pointed out. These reforms have also improved the ease of doing business by streamlining ...

Pensioners' body EPS-95 Agitation Committee on Saturday said that Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has assured swift action on its demands. Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has taken a positive stance on the long-pending demands of 78 lakh EPS- 95 pensioners across the country, a statement by the pensioners body said. According to the statement, these demands include an increase in the minimum pension, provision of free medical facilities for pensioners and their spouses, and rectification of errors in applications for higher pension benefits. The minister assured the delegation of a swift resolution to these issues, it said. Commander Ashok Raut, National President of the EPS-95 National Agitation Committee (NAC), which has been advocating for pensioners' rights for several years, revealed that recent discussions with both the Labour Minister and the Finance Minister provided assurances of an imminent increase in the minimum pension. However, the absence of any such ...

State-owned Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) on Tuesday launched a single-premium smart pension plan that offers a range of annuity options for Single Life as well as Joint Life type of annuities. The plan was launched by Financial Services Secretary M Nagaraju along with Siddhartha Mohanty, CEO & MD of LIC, in presence of senior officials of the finance ministry and LIC. The Non-Par and Non Linked plan has several liquidity options available for partial/ full withdrawal as per terms of policy, LIC said in a statement. The Minimum Purchase Price is Rs 1,00,000 with incentives for higher purchase price and modes of annuity payments allowable are yearly, half yearly, quarterly or monthly, it said. An option to take immediate annuity by NPS subscriber is a special feature, it said. The options available on survival of the annuitant varies as per the annuity option chosen at the time of inception. The amount payable after death of annuitant will be as per the option chosen b

This assumes significance in view of the Budget announcement earlier this month by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman about rolling out of a social security scheme for one crore gig workers

As many as 1.749 million applications were received by July 11, 2023. In a final extension, employers were given a last opportunity to forward applications for pensions on higher wages by January 31

Budget 2025 brings key tax, insurance, and investment changes. From ULIP taxation to NPS benefits and Kisan Credit Card updates, here's a breakdown of FAQs to help you understand the new provisions

HDFC Securities on Monday announced a strategic partnership with KFin Technologies Ltd to boost accessibility and adoption of the National Pension System (NPS) among its subscribers. The collaboration aims to leverage KFin Technologies' advanced central recordkeeping agency (CRA) platform to provide an enhanced user experience for HDFC Securities' 3.5 lakh subscribers and over 2,700 corporate clients, the company said in a statement. CRAs play a vital role in the NPS ecosystem by managing subscriber records, ensuring transparency, and facilitating seamless account operations. KFintech's CRA platform is equipped with features such as flexible transaction statement downloads, real-time SMS notifications for contributions, and advanced security measures like dual-factor authentication using passwords and OTPs, it added. Subscribers can also access dedicated portals, WhatsApp services, and a missed-call facility to monitor investments and make changes conveniently, the stockbroking fir

The government may hike the minimum pension amount under Atal Pension Yojana in the upcoming Union Budget to attract informal sector workers

The current pay commission, which helps determine govt employee's salaries, allowances, and pensions, is set to end in 2026

Retirement fund body EPFO has completed the Centralized Pension Payments System (CPPS) rollout in all its regional offices across the country that will benefit over 68 lakh pensioners, the labour ministry said on Friday. The CPPS is a paradigm shift from the existing pension disbursement system that is decentralised, with each zonal/regional office of EPFO maintaining separate agreements with only 3-4 banks, the ministry explained in a statement. Under CPPS, a beneficiary will be able to withdraw pension from any bank and there will be no need for to visit the bank for verification at the time of commencement of pension, and the amount will be immediately credited upon release, it stated. The CPPS system January 2025 onwards will also ensure disbursement of pension throughout India without any need for transfer of pension payment orders (PPO) from one office to another even when the pensioner moves from one location to another or changes his bank or branch, it said. This will be a

With the number of rejections rising to almost a third of claims, the government is taking steps to radically reform the country's largest social security platform in order to ease payouts of benefits

The country will boost the basic pension for retirees and for urban and rural residents and raise financial subsidy standards for urban and rural residents' medical insurance

The assets under management (AUM) of the National Payment System are expected to touch Rs 15-lakh crore by the end of current fiscal year, Pension Fund Regulatory Development Authority Chairman Deepak Mohanty said on Saturday. At a media interaction following the official launch of the Association of NPS Intermediaries, Mohanty also said the take up rate by the employees in the corporate sector remains a challenge. This Association of NPS comprises stakeholders including pension fund managers, points of presence (bank and non-bank), central record keeping agencies, trustee banks, custodians, aggregators, annuity service providers, pension agents, retirement advisors, and other industry participants. The association aims to represent the interests of all intermediaries in the NPS ecosystem, promote NPS as a reliable, flexible, and tax-efficient retirement product, focus on subscriber welfare by ensuring smooth and transparent processes within the system and also to collaborate with .

Retirement fund body EPFO has extended time till January 31, 2025 for employers to upload wage details etc regarding 3.1 lakh pending applications for pension on higher wages. An online facility was made available by EPFO for submitting applications for validation of options/joint options for pension on higher wages, a labour ministry statement said. The facility was for eligible pensioners or members in compliance with the Supreme Court order on November 4, 2022. It was launched on February 26, 2023 and was to remain available only till May 3, 2023. However, considering representations of employees, the time was extended to June 26, 2023 in order to provide complete four months to eligible pensioners/members for filing applications. A last opportunity of 15 days was further given to remove any difficulty faced by them. Accordingly, the last date for submission of applications was extended to July 11, 2023 and a total of 17.49 lakh applications were received from pensioners/membe

The Supreme Court had earlier ruled that pensionary benefits must be calculated based on the past drawn salary as a High Court judge, ensuring parity across the judiciary

From immediate to regular to deferred pension, check out your best options