"The incentive is paid by the government. Only when we get the funds from the government, we can release it further. Currently, the government releases the funds in about 3-4 months. The banks have been requesting that it should be paid every quarter," Pension Fund and Regulatory Authority of India (PFRDA) Chairman Hemant G Contractor said today.
He said PFRDA is even pitching for payment frequency to be as short as one month so that it boosts incentives for the BCs.
The scheme, though meant for all, is especially targetted at the unorganised sector that does not have any formal pension provision. APY encourages workers from the unorganised sector to save voluntarily for their retirement.
The most promising advantage of APY is at the retirement age of 60 years -- it offers a minimum guaranteed monthly pension between Rs 1,000-5,000 to the subscriber and to the spouse after the death of the subscriber.
Speaking on the sidelines of a workshop of APY here, he said PFRDA will organise such kind of workshops at the state as well as district level to motivate people to buy the pension product.
