The Centre has cleared the way for a section of government employees to receive Old Pension Scheme (OPS) benefits, addressing a long-standing issue linked to compassionate appointments.

Under a recent clarification issued by the Department of Pension and Pensioners' Welfare, eligible employees appointed on compassionate grounds after January 1, 2004, may still be covered under OPS if their application for appointment was submitted before the National Pension System (NPS) came into force.

Who will benefit from the new OPS rule?

The relief applies to eligible family members who applied for compassionate appointment on or before December 31, 2003, but were appointed later due to delays in processing their cases.

Earlier, many such employees were brought under NPS because their date of appointment fell after January 1, 2004. The government has now clarified that, in eligible cases, the application date, not the appointment date, will be considered while determining pension coverage.

The clarification could benefit employees who have argued for years that administrative delays should not affect their pension entitlement.

Does this mean OPS is returning for all government employees?

No. The latest order is limited to a specific category of compassionate appointees and does not amount to a wider restoration of OPS.

However, the move is important because pension reforms remain one of the key issues being raised before the 8th Pay Commission. Employee organisations have been seeking greater retirement security, arguing that OPS provides a guaranteed pension while NPS is based on contributions and market-linked returns.

While the government has not announced any broader rollback of NPS, the latest clarification is expected to provide relief to eligible employees whose applications predated the January 2004 transition to the new pension system.