Amidst the ongoing discussions regarding the Eighth Pay Commission in the country, the Central Government has taken an important decision regarding the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). This decision may provide relief to those employees who had joined government jobs on compassionate grounds and were expecting the benefits of OPS for a long time.
The government has clarified that in such cases, now the date of application will be considered important instead of the date of appointment. This may open the option of old pension scheme for many employees.
Which employees will get the benefit?
According to the new decision, family members who had applied for compassionate appointment on or before December 31, 2003, but were appointed after January 1, 2004, can also opt for the old pension scheme with certain conditions. However, it will be necessary that at the time of application the person concerned fulfills all the eligibility criteria for appointment.
Date of application will be the basis
According to the Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare, in cases of compassionate appointment, it will now be seen when the application was made. If the employee’s family member had applied within the deadline and was eligible, he or she can get benefits under the old pension scheme. The government has taken this decision after discussion with the concerned departments.
happy atmosphere among employees
After this decision of the government, employee organizations have called it a relief step. Organizations say that thousands of employees can benefit from the decision on this long pending issue. At the same time, employee organizations have also demanded that more options should be made available for pension security for retiring employees.
Increased expectations regarding OPS
There has been a continuous demand among government employees regarding the old pension scheme. In such a situation, this decision of the Central Government is being considered important for the employees on compassionate appointment. However, to avail the benefits, employees will have to fulfill the prescribed rules and eligibility conditions.