Women gain power to choose children over spouses for family pension

Pivotal pension shift: The central government has implemented a change in regulations, allowing female government employees to nominate their children over their husbands for family pension, as per an official release on Monday. Formerly, family pension were granted to the spouse of a deceased government servant or pensioner, and other family members became eligible only after the spouse's ineligibility or demise.

The Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare (DoPPW) amended the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 2021, allowing female government workers or pensioners to designate family pension for their eligible children posthumously, bypassing their spouses. Union Minister of State for Personnel, Jitendra Singh, highlighted that this change aims to address complications arising from matrimonial disputes leading to divorce or legal actions under various statutes.

The amendment, aligning with the government's focus on women's equitable rights, empowers women employees to choose their child as the recipient of family pension, diverging from the traditional spousal norm, according to a statement.

Nomination procedure clarified

To avail this option, female government servants or pensioners must submit a written request to the head of the office, specifying their child/children as the preferred recipients of family pension over their spouses. After the death of a female government servant or pensioner, the family pension will be directed to the designated child/children. If a widower and an ineligible child are left behind, the family pension goes to the widower.

In cases where the widower is the guardian of a minor or a child with a mental disorder, the widower receives the family pension until the child becomes an adult. If the child remains eligible after reaching adulthood, the family pension is directed to the child. This regulation also applies if the deceased female government servant or pensioner is survived by a widower and adult children still eligible for the family pension.

Jitendra Singh emphasised that these reforms are part of a series introduced by the current Prime Minister to create a supportive environment for working women, including initiatives to increase women's representation in central government positions and facilitate a balance between professional and family lives.