old pension scheme The government has given important information in the House regarding the old pension scheme. The government has told how many pensioners there are in the country. Information was also given regarding the restoration of the old pension scheme. The government has also told how many states have restarted the old pension scheme. In fact, opposition MP Nav Kumar Sarnia, Deepak Baij and Shiv Sena MP Kripal Balaji Tumane asked all the questions to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Question – How many pensioners are there in the country
answer – The government said that as per 31.3.23, the number of civil pensioners is 1141985. While defense pensioners are 3387173. Whereas the number of telecom pensioners is 438758. Railway pensioner number is 1525768, postal pensioner number is 301765. Thus, there are a total of 6795449 pensioners in the country.
Question- Is the government considering restoring the old pension scheme?
answer- The government told the House that there is no such proposal under consideration of the government for restoration of OPS for the employees. The government said that a committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of the Finance Secretary to look into the issue of pension under the National Pension System and examine any changes.
Question – How many states have restarted OPS and demanded refund of NPS contributions?
answer – On this, it has been told by the government that Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh have informed about returning to the old pension scheme. It has been told by the government that these states have requested for refund of contribution, withdrawal and benefits received thereon. However, the Punjab Government has also informed the Government of India that it will continue to pay employee and government contributions into NPS.
Question – What are the details of the amount deposited by Chhattisgarh and the amount demanded along with interest thereon and what action has been taken by the government on it. Also, what decision has been taken by the government for refund of NPS money to the states which have restarted OPS.
answer – In response to this question, the government said, Chhattisgarh Government has informed that as of 31.3.23, an amount of Rs 11.850 crore has been transferred to Protean with an AUM of Rs 17.240 crore under NPS.