New NPS withdrawal plan: Retirement Income Scheme offers an orderly exit, but no return guarantee

The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has introduced the Retirement Income Scheme (RIS) under NPS, allowing retirees to receive systematic payouts from the 80% withdrawable corpus until age 85 while keeping funds invested. RIS aims to improve income stability, corpus longevity, and inflation-beating returns. However, payouts remain market-linked, tax treatment remains unclear, and the scheme may be complex for some retirees.