PFRDA and PHDCCI Bring NPS Awareness to Mumbai, Urging Employers to Make Retirement Savings Part of Every Pay Package
by Prashant Kapadia/NHN
Mumbai: The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), in collaboration with the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI), Maharashtra, held the NPS Awareness Session – Mumbai Edition on 16th October 2026 from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm at iThink Tower, Kanjurmarg East, Mumbai. The session explained the features, advantages, flexibilities and registration procedures of the National Pension System (NPS) to employers, employees, HR, finance professionals including MSME business owners.
Smt. Nilambari Vasantrao Bhosale, Deputy Commissioner of Labour, Government of Maharashtra, was the Guest of Honour. She said NPS offers workers in the organised, unorganised and contractual sectors a disciplined, low-cost, portable and market-linked way to build a retirement corpus. She urged employers to include an employer NPS contribution in their annual increment packages and placement offers, and not to leave out their contractual and temporary workforce. She described NPS as both a retention tool for employers and a long-term investment for employees. She also noted that an employer’s NPS contribution can be claimed as a deduction by the employee under the new tax regime.
The Chief Guest, Shri Saurabh Katiyar, I.A.S., Collector and District Magistrate, Mumbai Suburban District, sent his best regards through a video message for employers and fresh recruits. Shri Katiyar is a pioneer of the Saksham Skill Census, India’s first Artificial-Intelligence-enabled livelihood and skill census, launched in the Mumbai Suburban District. In his message he highlighted the power of compounding and the importance of starting to save early, and encouraged employers to include NPS in the placement offers of new joiners so that young professionals build a saving habit from their first day at work. He also thanked PFRDA and PHDCCI for bringing the initiative to the state.
Mr. Dhaval Rajendra Desai, Growth Leader, HDFC Securities Ltd., gave the presentation on NPS. Mr. Vaibhav Dwivedi, State Head, ICICI Pension Fund, demonstrated how returns grow with time through compounding. Ms. Vidya Thakkar, BD Officer, UTI Pension Fund along with representatives from NSDL answered the audience’s frequently asked questions.
PFRDA officials included Mr. Ajinkya Deshpande, AM, PFRDA who delivered the keynote address along with Sandeep Ghunawat, AM, PFRDA.
Participants were encouraged to take the message back to their workplaces, colleagues, contractors and communities, so that awareness of retirement planning as part of financial planning reaches workers across the state.
The session was successfully organized and moderated by Mr. Prasant Nandy, Assistant Resident Director, PHDCCI Maharashtra.
PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry has been a catalyst for the promotion of Indian industry, trade and entrepreneurship for over 121 years. A pan-India apex organisation and the “Voice of Industry & Trade”, it reaches large, medium and small industries across 25 states and works as a partner in progress with industry and government.