Page 3 - Pensions

PNB signs MoU with CRPF to provide insurance, benefits under Rakshak Plus

PNB has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with CRPF to provide insurance, financial services, and Rakshak Plus benefits to personnel, pensioners, and their families

SC urges Centre, IAF to recognise step-mothers for family pension

The Supreme Court on Thursday batted for liberal interpretation of word "mother" to include step-mothers too in grant of benefits under social welfare schemes including family pension. A bench of Justices Surya Kant, Ujjal Bhuyan and N Kotiswar Singh told the Centre and the Indian Air Force (IAF) that the definition of mother in regulations needed to be liberalised to include step-mother as well. "We need to liberalise the word 'mother'. It should include the word of step-mother as well especially when it comes to grant of benefits under social welfare schemes including family pension. Step-mother is de-facto mother," the bench said. The top court was hearing a plea of a woman, who raised her stepson after his biological mother died, and was seeking family pension. Justice Kant asked the Centre's counsel if a month-old child's mother passes away and the father remarries, would the step mother be not considered as the actual mother. "In law you may say her as step-mother, but she i

Atal Pension Yojana adds 3.9 mn enrolments in FY26, total crosses 80 mn

Social Security scheme Atal Pension Yojana has crossed 8 crore total gross enrolments, with an addition of 39 lakh new subscribers so far in the current fiscal, the Finance Ministry said on Friday. APY was launched on May 9, 2015. "The Atal Pension Yojana (APY), a flagship social security scheme of the Government of India administered by PFRDA, has achieved a significant milestone by surpassing 8 crore total gross enrolments with an addition of 39 lakh new subscribers in the current Financial Year (FY 2025-26) alone," the ministry said in a statement. Launched with a vision to create a universal social security system for all Indians, APY is a voluntary, contributory pension scheme, focused on the poor, the underprivileged, and workers in the unorganised sector. APY assures a guaranteed monthly pension of Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 for the subscriber post-60 years of age, the same pension to the spouse after the subscriber's demise, and return of the accumulated corpus to the nominee aft

Centre withholding funds for schemes, depriving people: J'khand FinMin

Jharkhand Finance Minister Radha Krishna Kishore on Monday accused the Centre of withholding funds for several schemes, depriving people of the benefits of the initiatives. He claimed that the BJP was spreading lies that the Jharkhand government was not providing the benefits of the schemes to the people. "The central government has withheld funds for several schemes and is not providing its share. Due to this, people are not able to get benefits of various schemes such as old-age pension. I urge the Centre to release the funds," Kishore told reporters after a 'Janta Darbar' at the Congress headquarters in Ranchi. As many as 49 cases were brought before the finance minister at the 'Janta Darbar', with most being related to electricity, road construction, land dispute, pond renovation and social welfare schemes. "The government will not tolerate negligence in work, and officials must complete public tasks on time. The practice of making people unnecessarily run around offices and ..

Delhi HC dismisses 200+ defence ministry pleas against disability pension

The Delhi High Court has dismissed over 200 petitions of the Ministry of Defence challenging the Armed Force Tribunal's order holding a number of defence personnel entitled for disability pension for their respective disabilities. Disability pension cannot be denied to defence personnel solely on the ground that the onset of the disability occurred while they were posted at a peace station or by contending that it is a lifestyle disease, it said, while noting that military service is inherently stressful due to a combination of factors. A bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur said that granting disability pension is not an act of generosity but a rightful and just acknowledgement of the sacrifices endured by defence personnel which manifest in the form of disabilities/ disorders suffered during their military service. The purpose of granting disability pension to personnel of the Indian Armed Forces is to provide necessary financial support to those who have sustained a

Pension administration needs urgent, systemic reforms: MoS Jitendra Singh

Union minister Jitendra Singh called for urgent reforms in pension administration, given that the number of central government pensioners now exceeds serving staff and a number of pending legal cases

'Right not a favour', says HC on pension to disabled kids: what law says

Madras High Court says no income proof needed, just a medical certificate. Families of disabled children can now push back against pension delays with legal backing.

Govt extends Unified Pension Scheme option deadline to 30 September 2025

Eligible central government employees, retirees, and spouses of deceased retirees now have until 30 September 2025 to opt into the Unified Pension Scheme

UPS for govt employees: How to shift to pension scheme as deadline nears

Scheme assures monthly pension based on average basic pay of last 12 months before retirement and after 25 years of service

Defence pensioners, Form 16 is here: Here's how to check your tax details

Defence pensioners can now download document for FY25 at SPARSH portal, ensuring easy tax filing and a clearer view of TDS deductions.

Honorary rank boost for retiring CAPF & AR personnel: What about pension?

Retiring CAPF and Assam Rifles personnel will receive an honorary rank boost on their final day. The ministry says it's 'a symbolic honor, not tied to pay or pension benefits.'

Govt retirees under NPS with 10+ yrs can claim UPS scheme benefits

Central govt employees retired under NPS with 10+ years of service can now claim additional pension benefits under the new Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) by June 30, 2025.

Centre's new rule to deny pension to ex-govt staff in PSUs for misconduct

Centre amends pension rules: PSU employees dismissed for misconduct will now lose pension benefits from previous government service. Know what's changed under Rule 37 and its implications

Supreme Court orders equal pensions for all HC judges, ending disparity

The top court was hearing a suo motu case related to judicial retirement benefits, along with writ petitions submitted by several retired judges

Nitish Kumar-led Bihar govt hikes DA for its employees, pensioners to 55%

The Bihar government announced a 2 percentage points increase in Dearness Allowance (DA) for its employees and pensioners on Friday. The decision was taken at a meeting of the state cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. With this hike, employees and pensioners in the pay scale of the 7th Pay Commission will get DA and Dearness Relief (DR) of 55 per cent, Additional Chief Secretary (Cabinet Secretariat) S Siddharth said. "A hike of 6 percentage points has been approved for those in the pay scale of the 6th Pay Commission. This will raise their DA and DR to 252 per cent. For those in the pay scale of the 5th Pay Commission, the DA and DR have been raised by 11 percentage points to 466 per cent," he said. The hike will benefit more than 5 lakh employees and over 6 lakh pensioners, officials said. It will be effective from January 1, 2025, they said.

Unified Pension Scheme explained: Key features, FAQs, and what's new

The new Unified Pension Scheme combines guaranteed benefits with NPS flexibility. Know its key features, FAQs, and what's changing for central govt employees starting January 2004

Moving abroad? Changes you must make in your bank, demat, and MF accounts

NRIs must also comply with the tax filing norms that apply to them once their residency status changes

Adopt liberal approach while considering disability pension to army men: SC

Observing that a liberal approach must be adopted while construing beneficial provisions, the Supreme Court has granted disability pension to an army man who was relieved from the service as he was suffering from "Schizophrenia." The top court noted that the decision of the authority to discharge a serviceman is based on a medical report which is devoid of reasons. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and N Kotiswar Singh said the requirement to give reasons by the Medical Board is crucial, critical, decisive and necessary for granting or denying disability pension. The apex court said it is not a mere formality, but a necessary material based on which the pension sanctioning authority has to decide about the grant or refusal of disability pension. "Accordingly, in our opinion, if the serviceman is discharged from service or denied the disability pension on the basis of a medical opinion which is devoid of reasons, it would strike at the root of the action taken by the authority, and su

Hike minimum pension under EPS, complete evaluation by 2025: Panel

The EPS, which came into effect in November 1995, is administered by the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation

Facing marital issue?Women officers can now prioritise children for pension

Women officers in marital disputes given option to ensure children's financial security