8th CPC demands: Will NPS subscribers get OPS option? Key demands placed before 8th Pay Commission

The All India NPS Employees’ Federation (AINPSEF) made three main demands during their meeting with the chairperson of the 8th Pay Commission, Ranjana Prakash Desai, and other officials on Thursday, April 30, 2026. These demands were related pension, retirement and government orders.

AINPSEF’s demands were- the retirement age for central government teachers should be raised from 60 to 65 years; all central government directives for its employees should also be sent to the employees of union territories (UTs) and central government autonomous bodies (CABs); and all central government employees who are enrolled in the National Pension System (NPS) should have the option to switch to the Old Pension Scheme (OPS).

AINPSEF president Manjeet Singh Patel told ET Wealth that the employee body requested 8th Pay Commission members to provide central government NPS subscribers an option to switch to OPS after completing certain years of service. Patel said AINPSEF’s first demand was to abolish NPS, to which the 8th Pay Commission didn’t agree.

“We then gave them a proposal that central government NPS subscribers after completing certain years of service should be given an option to switch to OPS to get an assured pension. We proposed that in such a case, the government, at the time of the retirement of an NPS subscriber, can keep its contribution plus growth on it while leaving the employee’s contribution and the growth portion to themselves,” said Patel.

Patel said the second demand was to raise the retirement age of central government teachers from 60 to 65 years, including those from UTs and CABs), similar to the teachers selected through the University Grant Commission (UGC).

The third demand made by AINPSEF from the 8th Pay Commission was for the central government to issue orders concurrently to all of its employees, including those from UTs and CABs.

“These orders are issued for central government employees first, and then they are forwarded to UT and CAB employees. The gap sometimes is months. Sometimes, by the time these orders reach UTS and CABs, the last date to implement them is already over and hence, they are of no use. So, we want the central government to issue these orders simultaneously for all employees,” says Patel.

AINPSEF has also recommended a consistent leave policy for all central government employees, requiring 14 casual leave, 30 earned leave and 20 medical leave per year. Apart from that, the employee body has requested a 45-day social obligation leave for all employees upon joining service.