RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh cabinet on Friday decided that the government employees will be considered as the members of the Chhattisgarh General Provident Fund (GPF) from April 1, 2022. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel chaired the cabinet meeting at his residence office here. As part of implementation of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) as announced earlier, the state cabinet decided to extend the benefits of the old pension scheme. The central government had refused to refund the amount of the National Pension System (NPS) to the state officers and employees, an official communication said. The government employees will be considered as the members of the Chhattisgarh General Provident Fund from April 1, 2022. The employee contribution deposited in the NPS account from November 1, 2004 or after that to March 31, 2022 and the dividend earned thereon, will be payable to the government employee under the NPS rules. The employees will be eligible for the OPS, only after depositing the contribution of the state government and the dividend earned thereon. The government employees will have to select the option of either continuing under NPS or receiving the benefit of the OPS in a notarized affidavit. The option will be final and irrevocable. The share deposited by the government in the NPS account from November 1, 2004 to March 31, 2022 and the dividend received thereon will have to be deposited in the government’s account, if the government employee opts for the OPS. The state government employees appointed on and after April 1, 2022 will compulsorily be members of the old pension scheme.