The Ministry of Railways has notified the Railway Services (Extraordinary Pension) Rules, 2026, which replace the Railway Services (Extraordinary Pension) Rules, 1993. The Indian Railways is the largest employer in India after the Ministry of Defence (Indian Armed Forces). It has over 1 million employees, and therefore the development holds a lot of significance as the updated framework establishes revised terms, classification criteria, and procedural timelines for awarding disability and family pensions to railway personnel. It also addresses how a railway employee’s pension will be determined if they die while in service or become disabled in an accident.
NPS-covered railway employees (under the 2025 NPS Implementation Rules) or their families can also claim family pension, disability pension, and constant attendant allowance benefits under these rules if the employee opted for this coverage.
Divided into four categories
Under the new rules, death and disability cases are divided into four categories: A, B, C, and D. Pension will be determined based on the outcome of each case.
| Category | Coverage & Circumstances |
| Category A | Natural deaths or disabilities unrelated to official service. |
| Category B | Diseases or accidents attributable to or aggravated by railway service (e.g., severe climate hazards, occupational risks). |
| Category C | Incidents involving public violence, terrorist acts, riots, or extreme natural disasters during duty or rescue operations. |
| Category D | Attacks by terrorists or anti-social elements, border encounters, war operations, or high-risk military-style training simulations. |
Monthly disability pension
| Feature | Terms & Scale |
| Minimum Payout | Monthly disability pension or family pension cannot be lower than Rs 18,000 per month. |
| Disability Pension Split | Comprises a Service Element (50 per cent of basic pay) plus a Disability Element (up to 30 per cent of pay for 100 per cent disability, scaled down for lower percentage disability). |
| Retain-in-Service Compensation | Employees retained in service despite incurring a disability will receive a lump-sum capitalized payout in place of the monthly disability element. |
| Family Pension Scale | Family pension ranges from 60 per cent of pay (Category B) up to 100 per cent of pay (Categories C & D) for surviving spouses. |
Amount of Family Pension
- Category B Death: 60 per cent of basic pay.
- Category C Death: 100 per cent of basic pay.
- Category D Death: 100 per cent of basic pay.
- Minimum Limit: The monthly family pension cannot be lower than Rs 18,000 per month.
Death of a Disability Pensioner: If a disabled pensioner dies within seven years of disability retirement due to the same injury or disease, the family is entitled to an extraordinary family pension under the relevant category.
Eligibility of members of the family for grant of family pension
Family pension is granted according to a defined order of precedence:
Widow or Widower: Until remarriage or death (subject to specific rule exemptions).
Dependent Children:
- Sons: Unmarried, below 25 years of age, and not earning a livelihood.
- Daughters: Unmarried, widowed, or divorced daughters subject to specified age/income conditions.
- Children with Disabilities: Physical or mental disability rendering them unable to earn a livelihood allows lifetime eligibility regardless of age.
- Parents: Dependent parents (including adoptive parents) where no surviving spouse or eligible child exists.
- Dependent Siblings: Unmarried, dependent brothers and sisters subject to age and livelihood constraints.
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