Assam among first states to approve Unified Pension Scheme: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

Sarma said Assam was among the first states to approve the UPS and that the process of framing and notifying the rules is still underway across states.

In a post on X, the Assam Chief Minister said, Assam was among the first States to approve the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) for its Government employees. The process of framing and notifying UPS Rules is still underway across States. We are working closely with PFRDA, Central Recordkeeping Agencies and other stakeholders to ensure smooth, transparent and timely implementation in Assam.

Sarma also assured government employees that the state government remains committed to implementing the scheme and sought their patience and continued trust.

I assure our employees that the Government is fully committed to implementing the Scheme. I seek their patience, understanding and continued trust, he added.

According to the official Union Cabinet release, the Unified Pension Scheme provides an assured pension of 50 per cent of the average basic pay drawn over the last 12 months before superannuation for employees with a minimum qualifying service of 25 years.

For those with a shorter service period, the assured pension would be proportionate to the service period, subject to a minimum qualifying service of 10 years.

The scheme also provides an assured family pension at 60 per cent of the pension of the employee immediately before their demise, while an assured minimum pension of Rs 10,000 per month would be provided on superannuation after a minimum of 10 years of service, the official release said.

The release said inflation indexation would apply to the assured pension, assured family pension and assured minimum pension, with Dearness Relief based on the All India Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (AICPI-IW), as in the case of serving employees.

In addition to gratuity, the UPS also provides for a lump sum payment at superannuation. The payment would be equivalent to one-tenth of monthly emoluments, including pay and Dearness Allowance, as on the date of superannuation for every completed six months of service. According to the official release, this payment would not reduce the quantum of the assured pension. (ANI)