No move to reduce the retirement age of central government employees to 50 years

Any attempt to reduce government employees' retirement age, nor such a plan discussed or contemplated at any level of government: Dr. Jitendra Singh

Press Information Bureau
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions

26-April, 2020

No move to reduce the retirement age of government employees, nor such a proposal discussed or contemplated at any level in the government: Dr Jitendra Singh

Strongly refuting the reports in a section of media that Government has moved a proposal for reducing the age of retirement of government employees to 50 years, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh categorically stated here today that there is no such move to reduce the retirement age nor has been such a proposal discussed or contemplated at any level in the government.

Dr Jitendra Singh said, there are certain motivated elements which have been over the last few days, time and again planting such disinformation in a section of media and attributing it to the government sources or DoP&T. He said, each time a prompt rebuttal is sought to be made in order to clear the confusion in the minds of stakeholders. He said, it was unfortunate that at a time when the country is going through Corona crises and the entire world is praising Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for his proactive handling of the pandemic, there are certain elements and vested interests which try to underplay all the good work done by the Government by planting such media stories.

On the contrary, right from the beginning of the emergence of the Corona challenge, Government and the DoP&T have, from time to time taken prompt decisions to safeguard the interests of the employees. For example, he said, even before the lockdown was officially announced, DOPT had issued an advisory for the offices to work with "absolutely necessary or minimum staff". Even though the essential services were exempted from this guideline, DOPT had issued directions to exempt the "Divyang employees even from the essential services".

Considering the constraints of the lockdown, he recalled that DOPT had postponed the last date for filling of the Annual Performance Appraisal Report (APAR) by the government officials.
At the same time, he referred to the UPSC’s decision to reschedule the dates of IAS / Civil Services interview / personality test and also announced that the Civil Services Preliminary Test will be done after May 3rd. Similarly, on the same line, SSC has also postponed its process of recruitment.
As for the Department of Personnel in the Ministry of Personnel, Dr Jitendra Singh said that last week there was fake news that the government had decided to impose a 30% reduction in the pension and discontinue pensions for those who are above the age of 80. However, contrary to this, the truth is that on the 31st of March there was not a single pensioner whose pension did not deposit in his account. Not only this, services of the Postal Department were sought to deliver the pension amount at the residence of the pensioners, whenever required.

As for the Department of Personnel, in the last four weeks, the Ministry of Personnel has had Video Conference consultations for Pensioners and Senior Citizens across 20 cities where pulmonary advice was given by experts like Dr Randeep Guleria, Director (AIIMS). Similarly, Yoga Sessions on Webinar are also being organised.

PIB

No proposal in the Government to fix the retirement age of Government employees as 60 years or 33 years of service

No proposal in the Government to fix the retirement age of Central Government employees as 60 years or 33 years of service

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AFFAIRS

LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1234
TO BE ANSWERED ON 25th NOVEMBER, 2019

Question by SHRI LAVU SRI KRISHNA DEVARAYALU & ANSWER by MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE SHRI ANURAG SINGH THAKUR

Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state:

1. Question: whether it is true that the Economic Survey presented this year recommends an increase in retirement age for employees to 70 years;
Answer: The Economic Survey 2018-19 did not recommend an increase the retirement age for employees to 70 years. It merely highlighted the experience of other major countries.

Also check: Central Government employees who have put in 33 years service or attained the age of 60 years, whichever is earlier, shall retire on superannuation

2. Question: if so, the details of the recommendation along with its status;
Answer: Does not arise.

3. Question: whether it is true that the Ministry is planning to bring a new proposal of 33 years of service or 60 years whichever is less for Central Government employees instead of implementing the above recommendation; and
Answer: Presently, there is no proposal in the Government to fix the retirement age of Government employees as 60 years or 33 years of service, whichever is earlier.

4. Question: if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor along with its status?
Answer: Does not arise

Source: http://loksabhaph.nic.in/

Retirement Age of CG Employees - Lok Sabha Q&A

Retirement Age of CG Employees - Lok Sabha Q&A

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS
LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO: 4181
ANSWERED ON: 21.03.2018

Retirement Age

BANSHILAL MAHTO
Will the Minister of
PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS be pleased to state:-
(a) whether the Government proposes to change the retirement age of Central Government employees; and
(b) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE
(DR. JITENDRA SINGH)
(a): No Madam.
(b): Not applicable in view of (a) above.

Source: Lok Sabha

Dopt Minister Clarifies on Retirement Age 58 or 33 Years of Service

Dopt Minister Clarifies on Retirement Age 58 or 33 Years of Service

In Lok Sabha today, the Dopt Minister Shri Jitendra Singh said that there is no proposal to reduce the retirement age to 58 years of age or 33 years of service for Central Government employees.

In a written reply for the question regarding the retirement age of Central Government employees in Parliament today, the concerend Minster of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said that the there is no such proposal to reduce the retirement age with the connection of 33 years of service.

Retirement age, Retirement age 58, Retirement age of Central Government employees

Retirement Age Becomes the Centre of Attention Once Again!

Retirement Age Becomes the Centre of Attention Once Again!

For the second time this year, there is sensational news about the retirement age of Central Government employees!

Will the retirement age of Central Government employees be extended by another two years, from 60 to 62? This is one of the hottest topics of discussion among Central Government employees these days.


The reason for this excitement is the reply given by the Minister concerned to the question raised by Raja Mohan Reddy in the Parliament. With the change of government, the question was asked in order to find out the state of mind of the new Government.

The Minister’s reply is given below:

Whether there is any proposal under the consideration of the Government to raise the retirement age of Central Government employees..?

No, there is no proposal to increase the age of retirement of central government employees from existing 60 to 62 years, Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, and in Prime Minister’s Office, said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha on 16.7.2014.

Central Government had raised the retirement age of its employees to 60 from 58 years in 1998.

Source: CGEN.in

No proposal to hike retirement age of Central Government employees before the Government

No Proposal regarding raising the retirement age before the Government

Following is the text of the Press Statement issued by the Department of Personnel & Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions today, to clarify that there is no proposal before the Government regarding raising the retirement age of Central Government employees from 60 years to 62 years :-

“Attention of the Government has been drawn to reports appearing in some sections of the media regarding raising the retirement age of Central Government employees from 60 to 62 years.

In order to put at rest all such speculations, it is clarified that there is no such proposal before the Government.”

Jammu & Kashmir Employees Retirement Age hiked to 60, on par with Central Government Staff

Jammu & Kashmir Employees Retirement Age hiked to 60, on par with Central Government Staff

 

During the cabinet meeting of June 3 that was presided over by J&K Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, it was decided to increase the retirement age of state employees from 58 to 60, on par with the Central Government employees.

 

It is worth mentioning here that the resolution marks the successful culmination of more than 6 years of protests and demands made by various employees unions across the state. There are also talks that the decision was made with the Lok Sabha elections in mind, which are due at the end of this year.

 

The minimum age limit to qualify for state government employment has also been increased by three years to 40.

 

A copy of the Government Order in this regard is given here.

 

Via 90paisa.blogspot.in

[http://90paisa.blogspot.in/2014/06/jammu-kashmir-employees-retirement-age.html]

Government mulls extending retirement age of Central Government Employees may save Rs 7000 crore

Government mulls extending retirement age of Central Government Employees may save Rs 7000 crore

 In an attempt that may save of Rs 7,000 crore to the exchequer, the Centre is believed to be mulling extending the retirement age of government officials,  reports CNBC-TV18’s Siddharth Zarabi. The move follows the suite of the Delhi State Government which extended the services of retiring officials by two years.

There is strong political rationale for the same. Delhi becomes the second state after Chhattisgarh to extend the service by two years. This is not an increase in the retirement age which is statutorily at 60 years. It is only an extension, which can hypothetically be revoked at any point of time.

However, there is also a fiscal rationale which will be of a greater impact. A total of around 3.45 million central staff estimated in the current year. If this were to be deferred, two savings accrue.

One is the pension head. Assuming 10 percent of this number retiring over the next two years, the current year savings alone would be Rs 7,000 crore on account of pension liabilities.

Gratuity could also be calculated at an average age of service of 33 years. It is completely hard to estimate as it is linked to various variables including the retirement profile within the central government. It is very different from the private sector.



The other side is that if you were to extend services by two years, one is not just saving but also paying their existing employees along with the allowances, which are increased every six months. It will add to the total wage bill, which is around Rs 1, 21,000 crore for the centre in the current financial year.

The total financial trade off could be just a few thousand crore but the larger significance is the politics. It will be explained as a fiscal measure as the government is also scrimping around to save every penny. However, the political impact including in a state like Delhi will perhaps be very visible in favour of the ruling establishment.

Source:  http://www.moneycontrol.com

Retirement age at 62 - No announcement reg this in today's Independence PM's address speech

Retirement age at 62 - No announcement reg this in today's Independence PM's address speechSeveral thousands of Central Government Employee's expectation to know about the extension of retirement age has not yet been concluded which is believed to be announced today in PM's Independence day speech.

As everyone knows, the government has planned to extend the retirement age of all central government employees by two years — from the current 60 to 62 years. The department of personnel and training (DoPT) has also already begun the work to implement the same.

Last time, the government extended the retirement age of central government employees in 1998. It was also a two-year extension from 58 to 60. This was preceded by the implementation of the 5th Pay Commission.

Employees are now eagerly look forward to know about the decision on this matter of Retirement age and hoping to get a fruitful solution.

Click here to see the entire address speech of Prime Minister for Independence Day

Retirement Age 62 - Prime Minister likely to declare on his Independence Day speech

Retirement Age 62 - Prime Minister likely to declare on his Independence Day speech

According to the media report, important and controversial announcement may be declared on 15th August, 2013 by the Prime Minister in his Independence Day speech. As reported in the media, the nodal department of Central Government, Dopt has finalized the draft proposal in this matter last week.

All central government employees including the employees of state government are expecting the announcement eagerly..!

Source:
http://centralgovernmentemployeesnews.in/2013/08/retirement-age-62-prime-minister-likely-to-declare-on-his-independence-day-speech/

Retirement Age 62 – Cabinet's decision to increase retirement age has been postponed, might be decided on 15th August

 Retirement Age 62 – Cabinet decision to increase retirement age deferred

Cabinet decision to increase retirement age deferred

The government may make the announcement in the Prime Minister’s 15 August address…

A proposal to increase the retirement age of government employees from 60 to 62 years came to the Cabinet on Thursday but a decision was deferred. The government might make the announcement in the Prime Minister’s Independence Day address, his last before general elections in 2014. The ministry of personnel, public grievances and pensions has proposed an increase in retirement age of government employees from 60 to 62 years, top sources confirmed.

There are around five million central government employees in India. The previous occassion the government raised the retirement age of central government employees was in 1998, from 58 to 60 years. The move is meant to ease the financial burden on the government in terms of its pension liabilities, sources said.

The retirement age of professors in all central universities was recently raised to 65 years. D L Sachdev, national secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress, said his union was totally against the increase of the retirement age beyond 60. It would hurt the youth, especially when the government is doing nothing to create jobs for them, Sachdev said.

Congress-affiliated Indian National Trade Union Congress national president Sanjeeva Reddy said his union had been demanding increase in the retirement age to 62 years and would welcome it.

Minister for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions V Narayanaswami had ruled out an increase in the retirement age to a question in Parliament in the winter session this year. An official in the ministry, when asked, refused to speak about it.

Source : www.business-standard.com
[http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/cabinet-decision-to-increase-retirement-age-deferred-113080201034_1.html]

No plan to increase retirement age of Central Government Employees - PTI Report

No plan to increase retirement age of Central Government Employees - PTI Report

New Delhi, Jun 16 (PTI) Central government employees are in for a disappointment as the Centre is at present not considering any move to raise the retirement age to 62 years.

A senior official in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, which acts as nodal department for personnel matters, said there was no such proposal to increase the age for superannuation of government employees.

"There is no proposal to increase the retirement age to 62 from 60 years".

Source: PTI News
[http://www.ptinews.com/news/3724917_-No-plan-to-increase-retirement-age-of-employees-]

An exclusive review of Retirement age 62 for central government employees

An exclusive review of Retirement age 62 for central government employees

It has been seen that one of the long time waging demand of raising the retirement age of government employees has finally caught afire.

Through the Medias and blogging sites re abound with news that the cabinet would announce news regarding the retirement age yet it has not been finalizes.

Even then it has been come to known that a favorable decision would be put forth regarding this issue due to the oncoming lok sabha and three state assembly elections.

In India the retirement ages of most of the state government employees range from 58 to 60. This is low in comparison to the government employees of foreign nation.

We shall see the effect of raising the retirement age in the following passage.

Advantage

1. If only 7th pay commission would be implemented in the year 2016 those retiring in the year span 2014 -2016 would be greatly benefitted.

2. Economically the employees would be in better position due to this rise of the age of superannuation

3. The pension amount and the other beneficiaries would also increase along side

4. There this chance of imparting fruitful experience to the subordinates or new recruit by those benefitted by rise in retirement age

5. More over there is chance of getting an additional MACP by the central govt employees

6. A good health psychological effect would prevail in their minds due to this boon of rising their retirement age and thus removing their fatigue

Disadvantage

1. Promotion would be greatly affected due to no retirement in the long span

2. Unemployment would come in to being due to the increase in retirement age

3. Output of work would be greatly affected if the retirement age of unhealthy employees would be increased.

This announcement would not be received in praise among those searching for employment in general Moreover among the retirement employees this decision is receiving a mixed response as some welcome while others detest it

CENTRAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT AGE TO BE EXTENDED BY TWO YEARS (2) TO SIXTY TWO(62).

CENTRAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT AGE TO BE EXTENDED BY TWO YEARS (2) TO SIXTY TWO (62).

The government is planning to extend the retirement age of all central government employees by two years — from the current 60 to 62 years. Sources said that an in-principle decision has been taken in this regard and the department of personnel and training (DoPT) has begun the work to implement the same. A formal announcement to this effect is expected this year itself.

The last time the government extended the retirement age of central government employees was in 1998. It was also a two-year extension from 58. This was preceded by the implementation of the 5th Pay Commission, which had put severe strain on government’s finances. Subsequently, all state governments followed the Centre’s policy by extending the retirement age by two years. Public sector undertakings followed suit too.

Source: www.financialexpress.com

[http://www.financialexpress.com/news/central-govt-employees-retirement-age-to-be-extended-by-2-years-to-62/784342]

Increase retirement age of central government employees to 62-Sixty two

Increase retirement age of central government employees to 62-Sixty two

On 21st March 2013, there was an unstarred question in Rajya Sabha, about whether there was a proposal to increase the retirement age of Central government employees. The relevant MOS answered there was no such proposal. That’s not quite true, because there is such a proposal floating around and it went to Cabinet sub-committee and an in principle decision to implement was taken by Department of Personnel and Training (DOPT). One should not mix up existence of a proposal with a decision about implementing it. Evidently, a decision has now been taken to increase the age from 60 to 62 years, the last time such an increase took place was in 1998, when there was an increase from 58 to 60 years. Whenever such a decision is taken, debates centre on the big picture. What are arguments for? First, life expectancies are increasing. There is a shortage of good people within government. Let’s tap this expertise. Second, in any case there are extensions in “exceptional circumstances”. But that’s arbitrary and can be shot down by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC). Why not formalize the system by allowing extensions to everyone? The trouble with this argument is that there will be no finality about 62 either and there will be “exceptional circumstances” beyond 62.

Third, there should be parity. Professors now retire at 65. High Court judges retire at 62, Supreme Court judges retire at 65. The counter-arguments of the big picture are also obvious. India is a young country, young need employment opportunities. Promotional avenues of existing civil servants get blocked. Often, in the private sector, people retire at 60 and there are extensions, with the qualification that extensions are at consolidated monthly emoluments, with no perks. An increase in retirement age occurs with all perks. Therefore, there are significant fiscal costs. While these big picture arguments and counter-arguments are important, my problem is that such decisions aren’t taken because of logical coherence. They are ad hoc decisions, driven by myopic motives. First, increase in retirement age postpones the one-time superannuation burden of severance payments by around Rs 5000 crores. For a government that has drawn up red lines on deficit numbers, that’s a desirable objective, even though it is myopic because it increases fiscal costs on future governments. Second, there’s a clear political cum electoral motive. Outright, if we include Defence, we are talking about 1.5 million Central government employees.

In a broader sense, we are talking about something like 6 million, excluding State governments and quasi-government, all urban. This is therefore a significant component in that 65 million urban household figure. These two points will also be made when the 62 decision is announced. But the one that bothers me most is a third element, one that is invariably never talked about. Such ad hoc decisions are taken because of specific individuals. There is one particular individual whom government wishes to place in one particular position. Once he is placed there, government wishes him to benefit from increase in retirement age. But to ensure he is placed there, one needs to ensure those who are senior to him get out of the way first. After all, supersession is not desirable. Hence, announce the decision after some people have retired at 60 and exited. This is the way decisions are taken. At one level, there is no point complaining, because we have accepted corruption of institutions and systems as fact of life. But when this 62 decision is announced, as it soon will, let us not pretend there are any big picture considerations involved.

Source : www.blogs.economictimes.indiatimes.com
[http://blogs.economictimes.indiatimes.com/policypuzzles/entry/increase-in-government-retirement-age-to-62]