Chairman & CEO,
Railway Board,
Rail Bhavan,
New Delhi.
Sub: Coverage under Railway Services (Pension) Rules, 1993, in lieu of the National Pension System for Railway employees recruited against posts/vacancies advertised/notified on or before 22.12.2003 but who joined service on or after 01.01.2004.
Ref: 1. Railway Board’s letter No. D-43/12/2018-F(E)III, dated 10.03.2023 (RBE No. 41/2023).
2. Railway Board’s letter No. D-43/12/2018-F(E)III, dated 11.12.2023.
Dear Sir,
We would like to draw your kind attention to a crucial matter concerning the coverage of certain Railway employees under the Railway Services (Pension) Rules, 1993, in place of the National Pension System (NPS). This pertains to employees who were recruited against posts/vacancies advertised or notified on or before 22.12.2003 i.e., before the introduction of the NPS, but who joined service on or after 01.01.2004 due to administrative delays.
As per the Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare (DoP&PW) O.M. dated 03.03.2023, circulated under Railway Board’s letter no. D-43/12/2018-F(E)III, dated 10.03.2023 (RBE No. 41/2023), eligible employees were given a one-time option to switch to the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), with the deadline fixed as 31.08.2023. However, it has come to our notice that several eligible employees, particularly those posted in remote and far-flung areas, were unable to exercise this option due to inadequate dissemination of information, lack of awareness, and communication barriers.
Additionally, numerous cases have been reported where appointments were formally processed on or before 31.12.2003, yet the actual joining of service took place on or after 01.01.2004 solely due to procedural delays. Such employees were placed at a disadvantage through no fault of their own and were consequently denied their rightful coverage under the Old Pension Scheme (OPS)………………….
