August 2025
12Aug

India. Income Tax Bill 2025: From UPS benefits to commuted pension rules — top 5 things every pensioner must know

The Lok Sabha passed the revised Income Tax (No. 2) Bill, 2025 on Monday, August 11, a move towards replacing the six-decade-old Income Tax Act of 1961. Introduced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Parliament, the bill aims to streamline and modernise the country’s tax framework. It will now move to the Rajya Sabha and, upon securing Presidential assent, become law. Out of the several provisions mentioned under the proposed bill, some key measures are specifically aimed at pensioners....

August 12, 2025
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08Aug

Boosting Retirement Income through Dynamic Withdrawals

By Ravi Saraogi Dynamic withdrawal strategies, extensively researched internationally, remain underexplored in India. This paper bridges this significant research gap by rigorously evaluating popular dynamic withdrawal methods using Indian data. Employing simulations based on historical equity, debt and inflation data from the Indian market, we compare 10 different adaptive and dynamic withdrawal strategies. The study demonstrates that dynamic strategies can improve withdrawals and sustainability compared to static withdrawal methods. However, this improvement comes at a significant cost of volatility in...

August 8, 2025
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July 2025
23Jul

Atal Pension Yojana and India’s Social Security Ambitions

In a country where nearly 90% of the workforce belongs to the unorganised sector, securing a dignified life post-retirement has long been a challenge. Most daily wage workers, small business owners, and informal employees do not have access to pensions, gratuity, or provident fund mechanisms that salaried employees in the formal sector enjoy. Recognising this enormous gap in social protection, the Government of India launched the Atal Pension Yojana (APY) in 2015, aiming to democratize retirement benefits for the underserved. What began...

July 23, 2025
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June 2025
26Jun

India Gears Up To Launch Landmark Social Security Scheme For Gig Workers

In a major step toward formalising protection for India’s growing gig economy, the government is preparing to roll out a dedicated social security scheme for gig and platform workers under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY)—the world’s largest publicly funded health insurance program. The announcement, made as part of the Union Budget 2025, marks a watershed moment for the country’s informal workforce, which has long remained outside the ambit of structured welfare systems. PM-JAY, also known as Ayushman Bharat, was...

June 26, 2025
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18Jun

India needs to design an inclusive pension system

Pensions are essential for maintaining economic stability and dignity after retirement. Retirees often face financial instability due to reduced earning capacity, rising health-care costs, and inflation, necessitating a safety net in the form of pensions. The Economic Survey 2025-26 reports that Indian pension assets amount to just 17% of GDP, compared with up to 80% in many advanced economies. Currently, only around 12% of India’s workforce is covered by formal pension schemes. The coverage is also disproportionate, with public sector...

June 18, 2025
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March 2025
26Mar

Policy certainty and structural reforms required to ‘boost’ pension investment in UK assets

Policy uncertainty and regulatory hurdles are preventing UK pension funds from investing more into UK productive assets, the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) pool Border to Coast Pensions Partnership has warned. Its report called on the government to provide policy certainty, remove structural blockers to investment, and incentivise growth-driving capital allocation to enable increased pensions investment into UK productive assets. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership said there is a “significant” appetite for institutional investment in the UK, demonstrated by the fact that...

March 26, 2025
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25Mar

India. New Unified Pension Scheme Set to Launch in 2025

The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has announced the introduction of the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), set to take effect on April 1, 2025. This new scheme will provide an alternative for central government employees currently enrolled in the National Pension Scheme (NPS). The UPS aims to streamline pension benefits and enhance financial security for government employees, with specific eligibility criteria and contribution requirements outlined in the recent gazette notification. Who Can Participate in the UPS? The UPS is...

March 25, 2025
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07Mar

Women’s Employment Rate in Urban India Rises by 10% in Six Years: Report

Women’s employment in urban India has increased by 10% over the last six years (2017-18 to 2023-24), according to a report released ahead of International Women’s Day 2025. The white paper, published by the Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai, highlights that women in their 40s have the highest employment rate among urban women, reaching 38.3% in 2023-24. Challenges Persist Despite Employment Growth Despite this positive trend, the report warns of several pressing challenges, including: Underutilization of educated women’s skills Lack of flexible work arrangements Commuting challenges Risk of a diversity backlash According to the findings, over 89...

March 7, 2025
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February 2025
27Feb

India. Voluntary Pension Scheme On The Cards; Open To All, No Job Or Employment Needed: Report

To provide financial stability outside of conventional job-based plans, the Centre is developing a Universal Pension Scheme. The scheme aims to streamline current pension plans and increase their accessibility, especially for unorganized workers, traders, and self-employed people, according to an ET report. The scheme will be available to everyone, regardless of their job or business. The ET report states that the Labour Ministry has initiated talks on the voluntary and contributory pension plan that would enable people from all backgrounds to...

February 27, 2025
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25Feb

India. Voluntary pension scheme for all on cards: Won’t be tied to employment, will be open for all

The ministry of labour and employment has started deliberations on the umbrella pension scheme. "The scheme, which would be voluntary and contributory, will not be tied to employment and hence will be open for everyone to contribute and earn a pension," a senior government official told ET. The broad contours of the scheme under the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) are being worked on, said the people cited. Pooling of Cess Once this exercise is over, the ministry will hold stakeholder consultations to...

February 25, 2025
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