NPS covers benefits under Old Pension scheme to families of missing Central Gov. employees 

New Delhi, April 29: Département of Personnel, Pensions have notified on April 28, and clarified that Under the CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972, if a government employee goes missing during service, the benefits of arrears of salary, family pension, gratuity, leave encashment, etc. will be paid to the families of the missing employees, according to a ministry press note.

Earlier on introduction of National Pension System (NPS) for Government servants w.e.f. 01.01.2004 vide Ministry of Finance, Department of Economic Affairs’ notification was amended making them applicable to the Government servants appointed on or before 31.12.2003. Though, the above provision with respect to missing Government employees was not available to Government employees joined on or after 01.01.2004 and covered under NPS. Therefore, in the case of missing employees, families of Government employees covered under NPS were not getting any benefit.

Now, therefore, considering the hardship being faced by the families of missing Government employees appointed on or after 01.01.2004, during service, benefit of CCS(Pension) Rules, in accordance with this Department’s memorandum has now been extended vide Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare OM No. 57/03/2020-P&PW(B) dated 28.04.2022 to the family of missing Government employee covered under NPS during service and in accordance with the option exercised by the Government employee or default option in this regard as provided in Central Civil Services (Implementation of National Pension System) Rules, 2021.

In the case of a government servant covered under NPS goes missing during service and his family is given family pension under CCS(Pension) Rules, the Permanent Retirement Account under National Pension System would remain ‘temporarily suspended’ till the Government employee re-appears or till he is declared dead in accordance with the law. The family would be eligible to get benefits of family pension, retirement gratuity, leave encashment etc. under NPS.