OPS: Great news for many employees eagerly awaiting the Old Pension Scheme (OPS)! For a long time, employees have been advocating for the reinstatement of the OPS, but the central government has yet to agree. However, following a recent decision, some employees now have the chance to opt for the old pension scheme. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has taken the lead in this initiative, and it is anticipated that other central autonomous bodies may follow suit. This brings up an important question: will employees from other central institutions also be able to take advantage of the old pension scheme?
These employees will have the option to select the old pension scheme. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has officially endorsed the Central Government’s decision regarding the old pension scheme. This development provides relief to employees who were appointed under Compassionate Appointment. A compassionate appointment is a position granted to support a dependent family member in the event of a government employee’s death or permanent disability while in service. This decision specifically applies to those employees who applied for compassionate appointment before January 1, 2004, but were hired after that date. Since the National Pension System (NPS) was implemented by then, they were placed under the NPS.
Now, the central government has decided to allow these eligible employees the choice to opt for the old pension scheme. CSIR, via an Office Memorandum issued on July 7, 2026, has instructed all its laboratories, institutes, and units to put this decision into action.
This initiative was prompted by a letter from the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions dated June 22, 2026. The letter clearly indicated that the relevant ministry or department could provide the option of the old pension scheme to family members who had applied for compassionate appointment on or before December 12, 2003.
Previously, in March 2023, the central government had provided a one-time opportunity to opt for OPS to employees whose recruitment process began before January 1, 2004, but who were appointed later. However, this facility was not available to employees with compassionate appointments at that time.