Centre Firm: No Return to Old Pension Scheme for Employees

• Central government confirms no proposal to reinstate Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for its employees.
• Despite low adoption of the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) and employee demand, OPS will not return.
• OPS offers fixed pension (50% of last basic pay) without employee contribution, unlike contributory NPS/UPS.
• UPS, an alternative to NPS, guarantees fixed payouts (e.g., 50% of average basic pay for 25 years service) and inflation protection.
• States like Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh reverted to OPS, but NPS funds cannot be returned.

Why It Matters: Central government firmly rejects OPS return; UPS struggles to gain employee trust despite guaranteed payouts.