UPSC Prelims 2017 · Question 54 of 99
UPSC Prelims 2017 question on National Pension System
- ExamUPSC CSE
- Year2017
- PaperGeneral Studies Paper I
- SubjectIndian Economy
- TopicPublic Finance
- DifficultyMedium
- TypeDirect
Who among the following can join the National Pension System (NPS)?
Show answer
Answer: C. All State Government employees joining the services after the date of notification by the respective State Governments
Verdict
The answer is all State Government employees joining the services after the date of notification by the respective State Governments.
Analysis
The National Pension System applies to all new employees of Central Government service, except the Armed Forces, joining on or after 1 January 2004, which makes the fourth option wrong on both the date and the inclusion of the Armed Forces. It applies to State Government and State autonomous body employees joining after the date each State notifies, which is the third option. It is open to all citizens of India between eighteen and sixty on a voluntary basis, so the residence only and twenty one to fifty five options both misstate eligibility.
Source
Official National Pension System material and press reporting.
How to crack it
Three of the four options contain a precise qualifier, a date, an age band or an exclusion, and each is falsified by a single detail. Attack the numbers first, since the Armed Forces exclusion and the 2004 cut off are the two most tested facts about the scheme. Note the federal design point as well: a centrally designed pension scheme cannot bind State employees automatically, so State coverage must depend on State notification, which makes the correct option structurally predictable.