Provision for extending benefits under old pension scheme to family of missing Central Govt employees

Under the CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972, if a Government employee goes missing during service, the benefits of arrears of salary, family pension, gratuity, leave encashment, etc. are paid to the families of the missing employees in accordance with the instructions issued vide this Department’s OM No. 1/17/2011-P&PW(E) dated 25.06.2013.

However, on the introduction of the National Pension System (NPS) for Government servants w.e.f. 01.01.2004 vide Ministry of Finance, Department of Economic Affairs’ notification dated 22.12.2003, the CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972 was amended making them applicable to the Government servants appointed on or before 31.12.2003. Therefore, above provision with respect to missing Government employees was not available to Government employees joined  on or after 01.01.2004 and covered under NPS. Therefore, in the case of missing employees, family of Government employees covered under NPS were not getting any benefit.

Subsequently, benefits of CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972 or CCS(Extraordinary Pension) Rules,  as the case may be, were extended in the event of death of a Government employee covered by NPS or his discharge from service on invalidation/disablement, vide this Department’s OM dated 05.05.2009. However, the above benefit was not available for those whose whereabouts are not known and their family has to wait for their re-appearance or declared dead as per law.

Now, therefore, considering the hardship being faced by the  family of missing Government employees appointed on or after 01.01.2004, during service, benefit of CCS(Pension) Rules, in accordance with this Department’s OM  No. 1/17/2011-P&PW(E) dated 25.06.2013 has also been extended vide Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare OM No. 57/03/2020-P&PW(B) dated 28.04.2022 to the family of missing Government employee covered under NPS during service and in accordance with the option exercised by the Government employee or default option in this regard as provided in Central Civil Services (Implementation of National Pension System) Rules, 2021. 

In the case of a Government servant covered under NPS goes missing during service and his family is given family pension under CCS(Pension) Rules, the Permanent Retirement Account under National Pension System would remain suspended till the Government employee re-appears or  till he is declared dead in accordance with the  law. The family would be eligible to get benefits of family pension, retirement gratuity, leave encashment etc. in accordance with this Department’s OM dated 25.06.2013.