NPS to be cast wider, 250 million subscribers likely in 5 years: PFRDA chief

The Pension Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has set an ambitious target to more than triple the National Pension System subscriber base from 80 million now to 250 million in five years, its chairman Sivasubramanian Ramann said on Monday. This, he said, will be enabled with a slew of reforms to be undertaken over the next one month, which will maximise benefits and relax the exit norms for the non-government subscribers.

Speaking to FE, Ramann said the regulator is in the process of working out revised investment norms for the private sector subscribers, giving them leeway to invest in commodities like gold and silver, which are seen as good hedges against inflation. In the revised investment guidelines to be rolled out in November, PFRDA may also permit fund managers to inve