After retirement in the Central Government, many people face difficulties in getting pension. Pension is not released on time. Pension file keeps moving from one table to another. The Pension and Pensioners Welfare Department of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions keeps receiving such complaints. Recently, the Pension and Pensioners Welfare Department has issued an office memorandum for all ministries and departments in this matter. It contains a list in which the time limit has been fixed for the approval of pension related files. The Pension and Pensioners Welfare Department has asked all the ministries to ensure that there is no delay in settling pension related matters.
The office memorandum of the Pension and Pensioners Welfare Department states that the process of authorizing pension and gratuity involves various actions to be taken by various offices/authorities. In the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 2021, a time limit has been prescribed for completion of each of these actions. For example, according to Rule 54, every Head of Department (HOD) has to prepare a list of all such government employees by the 15th day of every month, who are going to retire within the next fifteen months from that date.
According to Rule 55, complete details regarding government accommodation are required to be obtained from the government employee at least one year before his anticipated date of retirement. These details should be sent to the Directorate of Estates for issuance of 'Bebaki Pramaan' (No Dues Certificate) in respect of the period of 8 months before the retirement of the government employee. Rules 56 and 57 state that a detailed procedure has been given for action related to the matter of pension on superannuation during the period of one year before retirement. This includes verification of service, completion of the things mentioned in the service book, removal of errors or deficiencies. The objective is to avoid delay in filing of pension cases.
As per Rule 59 and 60, the Head of Office shall forward the pension case in Format 10 along with accompanying documents to the Pay and Accounts Office within two months from the date of receipt of the pension form from the Government employee. On receipt of the pension letter, the Accounts Officer shall make the required enquiry and issue the pension payment order two months before the date of retirement of the Government employee on attaining the age of superannuation. The Accounts Officer shall forward a copy of the pension payment order to the Central Pension Accounting Office within two months from the date of receipt of the pension letters from the Head of Office. The CPAO shall issue a special authority seal and forward the same to the Pension Disbursing Authority along with a copy of the pension payment order within twenty one days from the date of receipt of the pension payment order. The Pension Disbursing Authority shall then take action to disburse the pension to the retired Government employee from the date on which the pension is due.
The Department of Pension and Pensioners' Welfare, through its Office Memorandum, has requested all Ministries/Departments to bring the above provisions to the notice of the personnel dealing with pension benefits in the Ministry/Department and its attached/subordinate offices for compliance. In June, during a dialogue with the Secretaries of the Government of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given instructions to make the pension related grievance redressal system more sensitive, accessible and meaningful. In compliance with those instructions, the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Pension and Pensioners' Welfare had issued an Office Memorandum last month. Comprehensive guidelines have been issued for sensitive, accessible and meaningful redressal of grievances of Central Government pensioners on the CPGRAMS portal. Its purpose is to strengthen the pensioners' grievance redressal mechanism.
(PC: Freepik)
