The Centre has announced a groundbreaking decision, allowing female employees to nominate their sons or daughters for family pension, instead of their husbands. The official statement, released on Monday, highlighted the change in family pension rules for government servants or pensioners.
Under the recently introduced amendment to the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 2021, female government employees or pensioners can now designate their eligible child or children to receive the family pension in the event of their demise. This replaces the earlier provision where the spouse was the primary recipient, and other family members became eligible only in specific circumstances.
Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh emphasized that this amendment aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to providing equal rights to women.
He stated, “In a path-breaking decision with far-reaching socio-economic impact and in keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policy to provide equitable rights to women, the government has amended the long-standing established rule, thereby granting the woman employee the right to nominate her son or daughter for family pension, instead of her husband as has been practice so far.”
The amendment is designed to address situations arising from marital discord, divorce proceedings, or legal cases under laws such as the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, Dowry Prohibition Act, or the Indian Penal Code. This ensures that family pension allocation remains fair and just even in complex family situations.