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The government has decided that the widows or widowers of deceased government employees will be entitled to receive family pensions for life, provided they do not remarry.
Under a new Finance Division notification issued on Sunday, beneficiaries will have to submit an annual declaration or certificate confirming that they have not remarried. However, this requirement will not apply to widows aged over 50.
The new rules, covering pensionable service, net pension, gratuity, family pension and leave encashment, will be effective from July 1, 2026.
The notification also revised pension rates based on length of service.
The pension rate will range from 21% of the last basic salary for five years of service to as high as 90% for 25 years or more of pensionable service.
The latest provision builds on earlier government rules under which a widower of a deceased female government employee could receive a lifetime family pension if he did not remarry.