Brief on National Pension Scheme for Traders and

Self-Employed Persons (NPS-Traders) 2019

The scheme is meant for old age protection and social security of retail traders/ shopkeepers and self-employed persons whose annual turnover is not exceeding Rs. 1.5 crore. These retail traders/ shopkeepers and self-employed persons are mostly working as shop owners, retail traders, rice mill owners, oil mill owners, workshop owners, commission agents, brokers of real estate, owners of small hotels, restaurants and other Laghu Vyaparis. 

2. Eligibility Criteria  

• Should be a retail trader/ shopkeeper or self-employed persons
• Entry age between 18 and 40 years
• Annual turnover is Rs. 1.5 crore or below

       Should not be

• engaged in Organized Sector (membership of EPF/NPS/ESIC)
• a beneficiary of PM-SYM
• an income tax payer

      He/ She should possess

1. Aadhar card
2. Savings Bank Account / Jan Dhan account number with IFSC

3. Features: It is a voluntary and contributory pension scheme, under which the subscriber would receive a minimum assured pension of Rs 3000/- per month after attaining the age of 60 years and if the subscriber dies, the spouse of the beneficiary shall be entitled to receive 50% of the pension as family pension. Family pension is applicable only to spouse.

4. Contribution by the retail traders/ shopkeepers and self-employed persons : Through ‘auto-debit’ facility from his/ her savings bank account/ Jan- Dhan account from the date of joining NPS-Traders till the age of 60 years as per the chart below. The Central Government will also give equal matching contribution in his pension account.

5. Enrolment Procedure: The retail traders/ shopkeepers and self-employed persons will be required to visit the nearest Common Services Centre (CSC) and get enrolled for NPS-Traders using Aadhaar Card and Savings bank/ Jan-Dhan account number on self-certification basis. First subscription to be paid in cash and auto debit from next month onwards. 
   Later, facility will be provided where the retail traders/ shopkeepers and self-employed persons can also visit the NPS-Traders web portal or can download the mobile app and self-register using Aadhar number/ savings bank account/ Jan-Dhan account number on self-certification basis.

6. Enrollment agencies: The enrolment will be carried out by all the Common Services Centres in the country.
7. Facilitation Centres: All the Labour offices of State and Central Governments, all the branch offices of LIC, the offices of ESIC/EPFO will act as Facilitation Centres to give full information to the retail traders/ shopkeepers and self-employed persons about the Scheme, its benefits and the procedure to be followed, at their facilitation desks/ help desks.

8. Fund Management: PM-SYM will be a Central Sector Scheme administered by the Ministry of Labour and Employment and implemented through Life Insurance Corporation of India and CSC e-Governance Services India Limited (CSC SPV). LIC will be the Pension Fund Manager and responsible for Pension pay out.

9. Exit and Withdrawal: The exit provisions of scheme have been kept flexible.

• If he/ she exits the scheme within a period of less than 10 years, the beneficiary’s share of contribution only will be returned to him with savings bank interest rate. 
• If subscriber exits after a period of 10 years or more but before 60 years of age, the beneficiary’s share of contribution along with accumulated interest as actually earned by fund or at the savings bank interest rate whichever is higher.
• If a beneficiary has given regular contributions and died due to any cause, his/ her spouse will be entitled to continue the scheme subsequently by payment of regular contribution or exit by receiving the beneficiary’s contribution along with accumulated interest as actually earned by fund or at the savings bank interest rate whichever is higher.
• If a beneficiary has given regular contributions and become permanently disabled due to any cause before 60 years, and unable to continue under the scheme, his/ her spouse will be entitled to continue the scheme subsequently by payment of regular contribution or exit the scheme by receiving the beneficiary’s contribution with interest as actually earned by fund or at the savings bank interest rate whichever is higher.
• After the death of subscriber as well as his/her spouse, the entire corpus will be credited back to the fund.

10. Default: If a subscriber has not paid the contribution continuously he/she will be allowed to regularize his contribution by paying entire outstanding dues, along with penalty charges, if any, decided by the Government.

11. Pension Pay out: Once the beneficiary joins the scheme at the entry age of 18-40 years, the beneficiary has to contribute till 60 years of age. On attaining the age of 60 years, the subscriber will receive by DBT the assured monthly pension of Rs.3000/- with benefit of family pension, as the case may be.

12. More Details and Grievance Redressal: To know more details and to address any grievances related to the scheme, subscriber can contact at customer care number 1800 267 6888 which will be available on 24*7 basis. Web portal/ app will also have the facility for registering the complaints