Only about 4% of central employees have moved to the Unified Pension Scheme, government reports

Parliamentary data shows roughly 4% of central government staff have enrolled in the Unified Pension Scheme.

Data presented to Parliament indicated that only 1.18 lakh central government employees, roughly 4.3% of the 27.6 lakh National Pension Trust subscribers, have opted for the Unified Pension Scheme as of July 19. Veteran staff continue to press for a pension guarantee of at least 50% of their last salary, a benefit that existed under the pre-2004 pension system. Several opposition-run states have stopped contributing to the NPS and sought to exit, prompting the centre to introduce UPS from April 2025, but the response has been weak, leading to an extension of the migration deadline to 30 November 2025.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman explained that those who switched to UPS may make a one-time, one-way move back to NPS. The scheme also offers retirement and death gratuities, and guarantees a minimum monthly pension of Rs 10,000 for members with at least ten years of service, with no current plans to alter or replace UPS. Additionally, 25,756 retired central subscribers are eligible for extra UPS benefits.