UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — The middle path

Question 1

Under the Tamil Nadu Assured Pension Scheme (TAPS) announced in January 2026, the 'assured pension' payable to an eligible retired state government employee is defined as:

Accepted Answer

50% of the last drawn basic pay plus dearness allowance

Answer

50% of the average basic pay drawn over the last 12 months of service

Answer

60% of the last drawn basic pay, exclusive of dearness allowance

Answer

40% of the last drawn basic pay plus dearness allowance, with a flat top-up

Question 2

The Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) — whose framework TAPS partially draws upon — was always and exclusively notified by which Union ministry?

Accepted Answer

Ministry of Finance

Answer

Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions

Answer

Ministry of Labour and Employment

Answer

Ministry of Corporate Affairs

Question 3

Under the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), what is the minimum qualifying service (in years) required to draw the full assured pension of 50% of the average basic pay of the last 12 months?

Accepted Answer

25 years

Answer

10 years

Answer

20 years

Answer

33 years

Question 4

Which Indian state became the first to announce, in January 2026, a hybrid 'assured pension' scheme expressly blending features of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) and the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) for its government employees?

Accepted Answer

Tamil Nadu

Answer

Kerala

Answer

Karnataka

Answer

Andhra Pradesh

UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — The middle path

Q1. Under the Tamil Nadu Assured Pension Scheme (TAPS) announced in January 2026, the 'assured pension' payable to an eligible retired state government employee is defined as:

Q2. The Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) — whose framework TAPS partially draws upon — was always and exclusively notified by which Union ministry?

Q3. Under the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), what is the minimum qualifying service (in years) required to draw the full assured pension of 50% of the average basic pay of the last 12 months?

Q4. Which Indian state became the first to announce, in January 2026, a hybrid 'assured pension' scheme expressly blending features of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) and the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) for its government employees?