NPS: An unwelcome intruder?
March
18, 2016
NPS: An unwelcome
intruder
This refers to your
editorial “An Alternative to Annuities in NPS” (Economic Times, March 18, 2016). Let us face the unpalatable
reality. New Pension Scheme (the present National Pension System) is an unwelcome
intruder into the family of retirement schemes in India. The purpose of its
introduction was to avoid funding of government pension schemes. At the time of
introduction of NPS prospectively for new entrants to central government service
(excluding defence), effective January 1, 2004, the unfunded pension liability
of central government alone was over Rs3.50 lakh crore. This liability will
continue to grow for many more years.
Now that government
employees have accepted NPS in the absence of any other option, government
should at least make it comparable to the provident fund scheme administered by
EPFO. As the managers of NPS are struggling to make improvements in that scheme
without much success, Centre should, without worrying about the ‘loss of image’
graciously transfer NPS to EPFO for management as that organisation has a
reputation and expertise built over a long period of sixty years. EPFO should
be, then allowed to manage its resources, including personnel, professionally.
M G WARRIER, Mumbai
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