New Delhi: In a major relief for Central government employees serving in militancy-affected areas like Jammu & Kashmir, North-East and Naxal-prone pockets, the Centre has decided to relax family pension rules.
In all cases where a Government servant covered by National Pension System (NPS) goes missing during service, benefits of family pension will be immediately paid to the next of kin. And in case he reappears and resumes service, the amount paid as family pension during the intervening time of his missing period can be deducted from his salary, Union Minister Jitendra Singh announced on Monday.
As of now, family pension is not paid till the missing government employee is declared dead in accordance with the law or till seven years passed since he went missing, the Personnel Ministry said.
Singh, Minister of State for Personnel, said cases of abduction of Central government employees working in violence-prone areas have come to the fore, so changes in pension rules have been effected to instil confidence and protect them and their family.
The minister informed that if a government servant covered by CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972 goes missing, the benefits of arrears of salary, family pension, retirement gratuity, leave encashment, etc. are paid to the families of missing employees.
According to other provisions of the new order, in all cases where a government servant covered by NPS goes missing during service, the benefits of family pension may be paid to the family if the missing government servant had exercised option for benefits under CCS (Pension) Rules on death or discharge from service on disability/invalidation or the benefits under CCS (Pension) Rules is the default option under the Central Civil Services (Implementation of National Pension System) Rules, 2021.
The benefit of arrears of salary, retirement gratuity and leave encashment will be paid to the family in all cases where a government employee covered under NPS goes missing during service, irrespective of whether the employee had exercised option for benefits under CCS (Pension) Rules or under the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (Exits and Withdrawals under National Pension System) Regulations, 2015, the statement said.
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 or CCS (EOP) Rules, the Permanent Retirement Account under National Pension System would remain suspended till the government servant reappears or till he is declared dead in accordance with the rules, it said.
If the government servant reappears, NPS account will be re-activated and become operative.
