Saturday, 26 September 2020

NATIONAL PENSION SCHEME

 Overview

National Pension scheme (NPS) is a voluntary and defined contribution retirement saving scheme. The NPS has been designed in such a way that it provides Systematic Saving (just like SIP) during subscribers working life. It is an attempt to find a sustainable solution to provide adequate retirement income to every citizen of India.

How NPS Works

Ø  Under the National Pension Scheme, the subscribers savings is pooled in a pension fund.

Ø  These pooled funds are invested by PFRDA (Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority) regulated professional fund managers as per the approved investment guidelines in the diversified portfolios comprising of Government Bonds, Bills, Corporate debentures and shares.

Ø  These contributions would grow and accumulate over the years, depending on the returns earned on the investment made.

At the time of normal exit from NPS, the subscribers may use the accumulated pension wealth under the scheme either to purchase a life annuity from a PFRDA empanelled life insurance company or withdraw a part of the accumulated pension wealth as lump-sum, if they choose to do so.

Eligibility

All Citizens age from 18 years to 60 years of age.

NRI’s Status

Yes, NRIs are allowed to invest in NPS

Tax Status

Any subscriber to NPS would get an additional benefit of Rs.50,000 under section 80CCD (1B) which would be over and above the ceiling limit of Rs.150,000 as prescribed under section 80C.

Features of National Pension Scheme

National Pension Scheme offers a range of investment options and choice of Pension Fund Manager for planning and growth of investments in a reasonable manner and watch your money growth. Subscriber have the liberty to switch over from one fund to another or from one fund manager to another. The investment and returns are market related and work like mutual funds.

Subscriber enjoys the flexibility to choose between eight fund managers (one fund manager to be selected compulsorily ) mentioned as below :

 

1.    HDFC Pension Management Co Ltd.

2.    ICICI Prudential Pension Fund Management Co. Ltd.

3.    LIC Pension Fund Ltd.

4.    Kotak Mahindra Pension Fund Ltd.

5.    UTI Retirement Solutions Ltd.

6.    SBI Pension Funds Pvt. Ltd.

7.    Reliance Capital Pension Funds Ltd.

8.    Birla Sunlife Insurance Co. Ltd.

 

 A subscriber must choose between active choice and auto choice for distribution of his contribution. If active choice is selected, the subscriber must indicate the percentage distribution between corporate , gilt and equity. The maximum investment allowed in equity is 50%.

PRAN

Account opening in NPS is simple which provides a Permanent Retirement Account Number (PRAN) , which is unique number and it remains with the subscriber throughout his lifetime. The scheme is structured into two tiers :-

1.    Tier-I Account : This is non withdrawal Permanent Retirement Account in which the accumulations are deposited as per the option of the subscriber.

2.    Tier-II Account : This is a voluntary withdrawal account which is allowed only when there is an active Tier I Account in the name of the subscriber. The withdrawals are permitted from this account as per the needs of the subscriber.

NPS Withdrawal

·        The subscriber wishing to exit from NPS has to submit a Withdrawal Application Form to the concerned Point of presence (POP) along with the documents specified below for withdrawal of benefits  
Following documents are required to be submitted along with the withdrawal forms in order to settle the claims:

1.    PRAN card in original

2.    Attested copy of proof of identity (e. g. Passport, Aadhar Card, PAN Card, valid Driving License, Voter ID Card etc.)

3.    Attested copy of proof of address (e. g. Passport, Aadhar Card, Valid Driving License, Voter ID Card etc.)

4.    Cancelled cheque (containing Subscriber Name, Bank Account Number and IFSC Code) or Bank Certificate containing Name, Bank Account Number and IFSC code, for direct credit or electronic transfer.

·         The POP would authenticate the documents and forward them to Central Record-keeping Agency (CRA) the National Security Depository Limited (NSDL).

·         CRA in turn would register the claim and forward the necessary application form along with the procedure to be followed and documents that need to be submitted.

·         Once the documents are received, CRA processes the application and settles the account.

 

Dr. Sanjay Mittal

9592800921

shsanjay.mittal@gmail.com 

No comments:

Post a Comment