As many as 31,555 Central Government employees have opted for the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) till July 20, 2025, and the final date to enrol underneath the scheme is September 30, 2025, the Parliament was knowledgeable on Monday (July 28, 2025.)
In a written reply within the Lok Sabha, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman mentioned as on July 20, 2025, a minimum of 7,253 claims have been obtained and out of which 4,978 claims have been processed for cost of advantages underneath UPS.
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From April 1, 2025, the government has launched UPS as an possibility underneath the National Pension System (NPS) for the Central Government employees. The UPS will present assured payouts to the employees.
In reply to a separate query within the House, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary mentioned, “as on July 20, 2025, 31,555 employees have opted UPS.”
Further, Ms. Sitharaman mentioned based mostly on the representations from employees and associations, the closing date to opt for UPS was prolonged for a interval of three months as much as September 30, 2025.
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“As per eligibility criteria, there are 25,756 retired Central Government subscribers eligible to receive additional benefits under UPS,” Ms. Sitharaman mentioned.
“These eligible subscribers are those Central Government employees who have either superannuated or deceased, or retired under Fundamental Rules 56(j), on or before March 31, 2025, after completing 10 years or more of qualifying service and were covered under NPS,” the Minister mentioned.
The government has prolonged the advantage of ‘Retirement gratuity and Death gratuity’ underneath UPS. Further, the government employees who opt for the UPS underneath NPS shall even be eligible for possibility for availing advantages underneath the CCS (Pension) Rules, 2021 or the CCS (Extraordinary Pension) Rules, 2023, within the occasion of demise of the government servant throughout service or his discharge on the bottom of invalidation or disablement.
The government has additionally prolonged tax advantages to UPS as can be found to NPS underneath the Income Tax Act, 1961.
To a query on whether or not the government proposes to increase such advantages to different pension schemes or sectors within the close to future, Ms. Sitharaman mentioned, “UPS has been introduced as an option under National Pension System (NPS) for the employees of Central Government who are covered under the NPS. There is no proposal under consideration to extend such benefits to other pension schemes or sector.”
