Can central government staff switch back from UPS to NPS? Apparently, yes, under certain conditions. The Centre has allowed central government employees currently under the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) to opt for a one-time, one-way switch to the National Pension System (NPS). This option will be available to all central government staff who had opted to UPS this year, according to a Ministry of Finance communication dated August 25.
Eligible staff can only switch from UPS to NPS and only once
It is worth noting that the switch will be bails ke just once, that too from UPS to NPS. Eligible staff will be able to exercise this switch up to one year before superannuation or three months before the deemed date of voluntary retirement.
Similar provisions will apply in cases of resignation and premature retirement under Rule 56J, with minor adjustments, according to the notification.
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UPS to NPS Switch | Who will not be eligible?
Cases involving any of the following conditions will not be able to exercise this switch, according to the ministry:
- Employees facing dismissal
- Employees facing removal
- Employees facing compulsory retirement as a penalty
- Employees against whom disciplinary proceedings are pending
Once exercised, the NPS regulations will apply in full, according to the ministry.
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Employees moving out of UPS will forfeit assured payouts and other UPS-linked benefits. The government’s differential contribution of 4 per cent will be ascertained and credited to their NPS corpus at the time of exit.
All central government departments have been instructed to inform eligible officers and staff about the new provision. Here’s the list of eligible departments from the Ministry of Finance release, presented line by line as you requested:
- Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE)
- Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
- Ministry of Ayush
- Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals
- Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Department of Fertilizers
- Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Department of Pharmaceuticals
- Ministry of Civil Aviation
- Ministry of Coal
- Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Department of Commerce
- Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade
- Ministry of Communications, Department of Posts
- Ministry of Communications, Department of Telecommunications (DoT)
- Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Department of Consumer Affairs
- Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Department of Food and Public Distribution
- Ministry of Cooperation
- Ministry of Corporate Affairs
- Ministry of Culture
- Ministry of Defence, Department of Defence
- Ministry of Defence, Department of Defence Production
- Ministry of Defence, Department of Defence Research & Development
- Ministry of Defence, Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare
- Ministry of Defence, Department of Military Affairs
- Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region
- Ministry of Earth Sciences
- Ministry of Education, Department of Higher Education
- Ministry of Education, Department of School Education and Literacy
- Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
- Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
- Ministry of External Affairs
- Ministry of Finance, Department of Economic Affairs
- Ministry of Finance, Department of Expenditure
- Ministry of Finance, Department of Investment and Public Asset Management
- Ministry of Finance, Department of Revenue
- Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying
- Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Department of Fisheries
- Ministry of Food Processing Industries
- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Department of Health and Family Welfare
- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Department of Health Research
- Ministry of Heavy Industries
- Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Border Management
- Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Home
- Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Official Language
- Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
- Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
- Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation
- Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation
- Ministry of Labour and Employment
- Ministry of Law and Justice, Department of Justice
- Ministry of Law and Justice, Department of Legal Affairs
- Ministry of Law and Justice, Legislative Department
- Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
- Ministry of Mines
- Ministry of Minority Affairs
- Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
- Ministry of Panchayati Raj
- Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs
- Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG)
- Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare
- Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Personnel and Training
- Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
- Ministry of Planning
- Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
- Ministry of Power
- Ministry of Railways
- Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
- Ministry of Rural Development, Department of Land Resources
- Ministry of Rural Development, Department of Rural Development
- Ministry of Science and Technology, Department of Biotechnology
- Ministry of Science and Technology, Department of Science and Technology (DST)
- Ministry of Science and Technology, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR)
- Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
- Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities
- Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Department of Social Justice and Empowerment
- Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
- Ministry of Steel
- Ministry of Textiles
- Ministry of Tourism
- Ministry of Tribal Affairs
- Ministry of Women and Child Development
- Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Department of Sports
- Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Department of Youth Affairs
- Department of Atomic Energy
- Department of Space
- NITI Aayog
- Cabinet Secretariat
- President’s Secretariat
- Prime Minister’s Office
- Election Commission of India
- Union Public Service Commission