Family Pension Choice: Can women employees now nominate their children? Explained 

In a landmark reform granting greater financial security to working women, the Indian government has amended pension rules to allow female employees to nominate their children as family pension beneficiaries instead of only their husbands.

Women employees can now nominate children for family pension

As per an official statement from the Personnel Ministry on Monday, previously family pensions were only granted first to a deceased government servant or pensioner's spouse, with other family members becoming eligible later.

However, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said the Department of Pensions and Pensioners' Welfare has now introduced changes to the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 2021 allowing women staffers to give family pensions to their eligible children after their death, rather than only their husband.

Singh described the amendment as a "pathbreaking decision with far-reaching socio-economic impact" in keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's push to provide equitable rights to women. The reform will address situations such as marital discord leading to divorce proceedings or domestic violence cases where the husband should not benefit from the woman's pension.

How to nominate an eligible son or daughter for family pension?

Under the new rules, a female employee or pensioner must submit a written request asking for the family pension to be granted to her eligible child or children instead of her spouse after her demise. If she passes away amid ongoing legal proceedings, the pension will be disbursed to the nominated child beneficiaries.

Some exceptions remain such as if a widower is the guardian of a minor child who would be eligible for a family pension. In such cases, the widower will receive the pension until the child comes of age and it transfers directly to them.

The Personnel Ministry statement clarified additional scenarios involving a deceased woman survived by a widower and children who have already become majors but remain pension-eligible. In those cases, the pension will be paid to the children rather than the widower.

PM Modi’s vision for betterment of women

Minister Singh said this amendment aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of granting legitimate rights to women across sectors. He stated the Department of Personnel and Training has undertaken concerted efforts to increase women's representation in government and support their work-life balance.

Monday's reform is the latest in a series of governance changes under PM Modi intended to create an enabling environment for working women in India. By allowing female staff to secure their families' financial future, the pension nomination amendment addresses a longstanding disparity and empowers women with greater economic agency.