The ministry of Finance on Friday announced that Central government employees who retired under the National Pension Scheme (NPS) on or before March 31, 2025, and have completed at least 10 years of qualifying service — or their legally wedded spouses — will be eligible for additional benefits under the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS).These UPS benefits will be offered over and above the NPS benefits already availed by the subscribers.As per the notification, eligible NPS retirees may choose between a one-time payout equal to one-tenth of their last drawn Basic Pay plus Dearness Allowance (DA) for every completed six months of service, or a monthly top-up if their current NPS pension is lower than the UPS entitlement plus Dearness Relief. Arrears will be paid along with simple interest, based on applicable Public Provident Fund (PPF) rates, reported ANI. The Ministry stated that both physical and online modes of application will be available for claimants. In the physical route, the applicant must visit their respective Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDO) and submit the required form. The online application process can be completed by visiting official website.The final date to apply for these additional UPS benefits is June 30, 2025, according to the ministry’s statement.Meanwhile, the Delhi Government is preparing to enhance the monthly pension for senior citizens and persons with disabilities by ₹500 to provide greater financial support.Earlier this year, the National Statistical Office (NSO) reported that over 6.4 crore new subscribers were added to EPF and ESI schemes between September 2017 and November 2019. During the same period, over 16 lakh individuals joined the National Pension Scheme.
