National Pension System eligibility criteria

The National Pension System (NPS) was made mandatory for all Central Government employees (including Armed Forces personnel) joining after 1st April 2004, replacing the old Defined Benefit pension scheme. Option (a) is overly restrictive; NPS is now open to non-resident Indians (NRIs) as well. Option (b) is incorrect; age eligibility extends beyond 55 years for several categories. Option (c) is correct for some states that adopted NPS, but it is not universal across all state governments. Option (d) is the most universally applicable and was a major policy change in 2004. > KEY INSIGHT: NPS became mandatory for all Central Government/Armed Forces employees joining on or after 1st April 2004, marking a shift from defined benefit to defined contribution pensions. Answer: (d).