Pension awareness programme for state autonomous bodies’ staff
Tribune News Service
Dehradun, September 23
The Uttarakhand government in association with the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) organised a National Pension Scheme (NPS) awareness programme to bring unregistered state autonomous bodies under the scheme here today. A total of 45 participants from 22 public sector undertakings, boards and corporations) attended the conference.
LN pant, Additional Secretary Finance, Uttarakhand, urged all employees of unregistered state autonomous bodies to join the NPS. Chief General Manager, PFRDA, AG Das, in the keynote address, briefed the participants about the contours of old-age income security and benefit of joining the NPS. He requested the government to implement the NPS for state-aided institutions and colleges as also in state autonomous bodies, public sector undertakings, boards, and corporations covered under the Employee Provident Fund (EPF).
PFRDA officials gave a presentation on NPS for state autonomous bodies, public sector undertakings, boards and corporations covering key features and benefits, details and process for joining the NPS, details of its architecture and investment and exit guidelines.
The state had adopted the NPS for state government employees, public sector undertakings, autonomous bodies, boards and universities from October 1, 2005. As on date, the state has registered more than 60,700 subscribers from various departments of the state government and have contributed more than Rs 2,105 crore to the scheme. There are 40 state autonomous bodies registered under the NPS having more than 5,200 registered subscribers who have contributed more than Rs 126 crore.
The number of subscribers in Uttarakhand, including state government and state autonomous bodies employees, is more than 65,900. The total asset under management is more than Rs 2,232 crore. The
NPS has massive footprints across the country with a subscriber base of more than 1.29 crore and an asset base of more than Rs 1.30 lakh crore. It operates on a high technology user interface platform and provides various benefits, including tax benefits and higher returns of more than 10.5 per cent. Recently, the Central government has allowed exclusive tax benefits on the NPS investment up to Rs 50,000.
