New Pension Scheme (NPS)(effect from 1-1-2004 )G.I., M.F., F.No.1(7)(2)/2003/TA/11, Dated: 7-1-2004 read with O.M.No. 1(7)(2)/2003/TA/67-74, Dated: 4-2-2004
1.Salient features of New Pension Scheme
Government of India have introduced a new Defined Contribution Pension Scheme
replacing the existing system of Defined Benefit Pension System vide Government of
India, Ministry of Finance, Department of Economic Affairs Notification, dated 22-2-
2003. The
New Pension Scheme comes into operation with effect from 1-1-2004 and is applicable to all new entrants to Central Government service, except to Armed Forces,
joining Government service on or after 1-1-2004.
The salient features of the New Pension scheme are as follows:-
The New Pension Scheme will work on defined contribution basis and will have two
tiers-Tiers-I and II. Contribution to Tier-I is mandatory for all Government servants
joining Government service on or after 1-1-2004, whereas Tier-ii will be optional and
at the discretion of Government servants.
..In Tier-I, Government servants will have to make a contribution of
10% of his basic pay plus DA, which will be deducted from his salary bill every month by the PAO concerned. The Government will make an equal matching contribution.
..Tier-I contributions (and the investment returns) will be kept in a non-withdrawal
Pension Tier-I Account. Tier-II contributions will be kept in a separate account that
will be withdrawal at the option of the Government servant. Government will not
make any contribution to Tier-II account.
..The existing provisions of Defined Benefit Pension and GPF would not be available
to new Government servants joining Government service on or after 1-1-2004.
..In order to implement the Scheme, there will be a Central Record Keeping Agency
and several Pension Fund Managers to offer three categories of Schemes to
Government servants, viz., options A, B and C based on the ratio of investment in
fixed income instruments and equities. An independent Pension Fund Regulatory and
Development Authority (PFRDA) will regulate and develop the pension market.
..As an interim arrangement, till such time the Statutory PFRDA is set up, an interim
PFRDA has been appointed by issuing an executive order by M/o Finance (DEA).
..Till the regular Central Record Keeping Agency and Pension Fund Managers are
appointed and the accumulated balances under each individual account are transferred
to them, it has been decided that such amounts representing the contributions made
by the Government servants and the matching contribution made by the Government
will be kept in the Public Account of India. This will be purely a temporary
arrangement as announced by the Government.
..It has also been decided that Tier-II will not be made operative during the interim
period.
..A Government servant can exit at or after the age of 60 years from the Tier-I of the scheme. At exit, it would be mandatory for him to invest 40 per cent of pension
wealth to purchase an annuity (from an IRDA, regulated Life Insurance Company,
which will provide for pension for the lifetime of the employee and his dependent
parents/spouse. In the case of Government servants who leave the Scheme before
G.I., M.F., F.No.1(7)(2)/2003/TA/11, Dated: 7-1-2004 read with O.M.No. 1(7)(2)/2003/TA/67-74, Dated: 4-2-2004
2.attaining the age of 60, the mandatory annuitisation would be 80% of the pension
wealth.The following guidelines are issued for the implementation of the New Pension
Scheme during the interim arrangement for the guidance of the PAOs/DDOs:
(a) The new pension scheme becomes operational with effect from 1-1-2004.
(b) Contributions payable by the Government servants towards the Scheme under
Tier-I, i.e., 10% of the (Basic Pay plus DA), will be recovered from the salary
bills every month.
(c) The scheme of voluntary contributions under Tier-II will not be made
operative during the period of Interim arrangement and therefore no
recoveries will be made from the salaries of the employees on this account.
(d) Recoveries towards Tier-I contribution will start from the salary of the month
following the month in which the government servant has joined service.
Therefore, no recovery will be affected for the month of joining. For
example, for employees joining service in the month of January 2004,
deductions towards Tier-I contribution will start from the salary bill of
February, 2004. No deduction will be made for his salary earned in January
2004. Similarly, deductions for those joining service in the month of
February, 2004 will start from the salary bill of March, 2004 and so on.
(e) No deductions will be made towards GPF contribution from the Government
servants joining the service on or after 1-1-2004 as the GPF scheme is not
applicable to them.
(f) It has been decided that pending formation of a regular Central Record
Keeping Agency, Central Pension Accounting Office will function as the
Central Record Keeping Agency for the above scheme.
(g) Immediately on joining Government service, the Government service, the
Government servant will be required to provide particulars such as his name,
designation, scale of pay, date of birth, nominee(s) for the fund, relationship
of the nominee, etc., in the prescribed form (Annexure-I). The DDO
concerned will be responsible for obtaining this information from all
Government servants covered under the new Pension Scheme. Consolidated
information for all those who have joined service during the month shall be
submitted by the DDO concerned in the prescribed format (Annexure-II) to
his pay and Accounts Officer by 7th of the following month. Annexure-I will
be retained by DDOs.
(h) On receipt of Annexure-II from the DDOs, PAO will allot a unique 16 digit
Permanent Pension Account Number (PPAN). The first four digits of this
number will indicate the calendar year of joining Government service, the
next digit indicates whether it is a Civil or a Non-Civil Ministry (for all Civil
Ministries this digit will be "1"), the next six digits would represent the PAO
code (which is used for the purpose of compiling monthly accounts), the last
five digits will be the running serial number of the individual Government
servant which will be allotted by the PAO concerned. PAO will allot the
serial number pertaining to individual Government servant from ‘0001’
G.I., M.F., F.No.1(7)(2)/2003/TA/11, Dated: 7-1-2004 read with O.M.No. 1(7)(2)/2003/TA/67-74, Dated: 4-2-2004
3.running from January to December of a calendar year. The following
illustration may be followed: -
The first Government servant joining service under Ministry of Civil Aviation
under the accounting control of PAO (Sectt.), New Delhi in 2004, shall be
allotted the following PPAN: -Calendar Year Civil
Min.PAO Code Serial Number 2 0 0 4 1 0 4 0 8 6 6 0 0 0 0 1
(i) The Pay and Accounts Officer will maintain an Index Register for the
purpose of allotment of PPAN to new entrants to Government service.
Format of the index register is given in Annexure-VII.
(j) The PAO will return to the DDO concerned, a copy of the statement duly
indicating therein the Account numbers allotted to each individual by 10th
instant. DDO in turn will intimate the account number to the individuals
concerned and also note in the Pay Bill Register.
(k) The particulars of the Government servants received from the various DDOs
will be consolidated by the PAO in the format (Annexure-II-A) and sent to
the Principal Accounts Office by the 12th of every month.
(l) The Principal Accounts Office in turn will consolidate the particulars in the
prescribed format (Annexure-II-B) and forward the same to Central Pension
Accounting Office by 15th instant. The CPAO will feed this information in
their computer database.
(m) The DDOs/CDDOs will prepare separate Pay Bill Registers in respect of the
Government servants joining Government service on or after 1-1-2004. The
DDOs/CDDOs will have to prepare separate pay bills in respect of these
Government servants and will send the same with all the schedule to the PAO
on or before 20th of the month to which the bills relate. Cheque drawing
DDOs may note that hereafter in respect of Government servants joining
service on or 1-1-2004, they will only prepare pay bills and not make
payment. They will send such bills to the Pay and Accounts Offices for precheck
and payment.
(n) The DDO/CDDO will prepare a recovery schedule in duplicate in the
prescribed form (Annexure-III) for the contributions under Tier-I and attach
them with the bay bills. The amount of the Contributions under Tier-I should
tally with the total amount of recoveries shown under the corresponding
column in the pay bill.
(o) The accounting procedure for these deductions is being finalized and shall be
notified shortly.
(p) It may be noted that along with the salary bill for the Government servants
who join service on or after 1-1-2004, the DDO/ CDDO shall also prepare a
separate bill for drawl of matching contributions to be paid by the
Government and creditable to Pension account.
(q) The bill for drawl of matching contribution should also be supported by
schedules of recoveries in form (Annexure-IV).
G.I., M.F., F.No.1(7)(2)/2003/TA/11, Dated: 7-1-2004 read with O.M.No. 1(7)(2)/2003/TA/67-74, Dated: 4-2-2004
4.(r) On receipt of the salary bills in respect of Government servants joining
service after 1-1-2004, PAO will exercise usual checks and pass the bill and
make the payments. After the payment is made and posting done in the
Detailed Posting Register, one set of schedules relating to Pension
contributions will be detached from the bills as done in the case of other
schedules such as GPF, Long-term advances. The schedules will then be
utilized for posting the credits of contributions in the Detailed Ledger
Account of the individual.
(s) The employee’s contributions under Tier-I and Tier-II and Government’s
contribution should be posted in different columns of the individual ledger
account (to be maintained in the format in Annexure-V) and Broadsheet and tallied with the accounts figures as being done in the case of GPF.
(t) These accounts should not be mixed with GPF accounts and these
records/ledger accounts should be independent of GPF accounts maintained
in the case of pre-1-1-2004 entrants.
(u) The PAO will consolidate the information available in the New Scheme
schedules received from the various DDOs and forward the same in a floppy
in the prescribed form (Annexure-VI) to Principal Accounts Office by 12th of
the month following the month to which the credit pertains. Principal
Accounts Office in turn will consolidate the information and send the same in
electronic form to the Central Pension Accounting Office by 15th.
(v) CPAO on receipt of this information from all the Pr. Aos (including the Non-
Civil Ministries) will update its database and generate exception reports for
missing credits, mismatches, etc., which will be sent back to the PAOs
concerned through the Pr. AOs for further action.
(w) Whenever any Government servant is transferred from one office to another
either within the same accounting circle or to another accounting circle,
balances will not be transferred by the PAO to the other Accounts Office.
However, the Drawing and Disbursing Officer should clearly indicate in the
LPC of the individual the unique account number, the month up to which
Government servant’s contribution and Government’s contribution have been
transferred to the Pension Fund.
(x) No withdrawal of any amount will be allowed during the interim
arrangement. Provisions regarding terminal payments in the event of
untimely death of an employee or in the event of his leaving the Government
service during the interim period shall be notified in due course.
(y) Detailed instructions on the interest payable on Tier-I balances shall be issued
in due course.
(z) At the end of each financial year, the CPAO will prepare annual account
statements for each employee showing the opening balance, details of
monthly deductions and Government’s matching contributions, interest
earned, if any, and the closing balance. CPAO will send these statements to
the Pr. A.O. for onward transmission to the DDO through the PAO.
(aa)After the close of each financial year, CPAO will have to report the de4tails
of the balances (PAO-wise) to each Principal Accounts Offices, who will
forward the information to each PAO for the purpose of reconciliation.
The G.I., M.F., F.No.1(7)(2)/2003/TA/11, Dated: 7-1-2004 read with O.M.No. 1(7)(2)/2003/TA/67-74, Dated: 4-2-2004
5.PAO will reconcile the figures of contributions posted in the ledger account
of the individuals as per their ledger with figures as per the books of CPAO.
(bb)After the appointment of CRA and Fund Managers, this office will issue
detailed instructions on transfer of balances to CRA.
Architecture of the New Pension System
..It will have a Central Record Keeping and Accounting (CRA) infrastructure,
several Pension Fund Managers (PFMs) to offer three categories of schemes, viz.,
options A, B and C.
..The participating entities (PFMs and CRA) would give out easily understood
information about past performance, so that the individual would be able to make
informed choices about which scheme to choose.
