J&K Govt Allows Eligible NPS Employees To Switch To Old Pension Scheme Under One-Time Option

The Jammu and Kashmir Government has approved a one-time opportunity for certain government employees covered under the National Pension System (NPS) to move to the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), according to a government order issued by the Finance Department.

The decision covers employees who were appointed against posts or vacancies that had been advertised or notified before December 24, 2009, the date on which J&K introduced the Defined Contribution Pension Scheme through SRO-400. However, these employees joined government service on or after January 1, 2010, resulting in their coverage under the NPS.

Eligible employees get three months to exercise option

Employees eligible under the order will have three months from the date of issue to submit their request for shifting to the OPS. The application deadline has been fixed as December 28, 2026. The option will be considered final, and employees who fail to apply within the prescribed period will continue under the NPS.

Applications will have to be submitted through the Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDO), who will forward them to the Head of Department or Appointing Authority before sending them to the concerned Administrative Department. The department will verify eligibility and issue the required order within one month.

Once an employee is brought under the OPS, their NPS account will be closed from the first day of the month following the issuance of the coverage order. Such employees will then be required to contribute to the General Provident Fund (GPF).

Pension transition process and employee response

The order also specifies procedures for handling employee and government contributions, along with adjustments related to the growth of the NPS corpus due to investment returns. The complete process, from exercising the option to closing the NPS account, must be completed within 120 days after the Administrative Department issues the coverage order.

Manjeet Singh Patel, President of All India NPS Employees Federation, said the move addresses concerns of employees whose recruitment process began before the introduction of the NPS.

"The employees of Jammu & Kashmir whose recruitment was advertised or notified before December 24, 2009, have now been given a one-time option under Government Order No. 305-F of 2026 to switch from the New Pension Scheme (NPS) to the Old Pension Scheme (OPS)," he said.

He added that employees appointed against vacancies advertised under earlier rules should not face disadvantages due to changes introduced later.

"Appointments made against old advertisements should, as far as possible, be governed by the rules that existed at the time of advertisement."