Improving Pensioners' Welfare: Key Focus Areas & Initiatives

Pre-Retirement Counseling Workshop and Pension Adalat

Government of India
Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare

dt: 17 May 2023

Address of V.Srinivas, IAS Secretary Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare at the Pre-Retirement Counseling Workshop and Pension Adalat, at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi

At the outset, let me congratulate each one of you for your services to the Nation through your long career marked by several achievements. There is so much that each of you can look back with an immense sense of pride and satisfaction.
Today is a very significant day for the Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare. The Department has successfully convened the 50th PRC Workshop along with the 8th Pension Adalat today at Vigyan Bhavan along with an Exhibition by all Pension Disbursing Banks. Hon’ble MOS PP Dr. Jitendra Singh ji has conveyed his good wishes to all officials participating in today’s event. The subject “Improving Pensioners Welfare” was a part of DPPW’s Chintan Shivir Hon’ble Prime Minister had shared his vast experience in governance, urged officials that impersonal governance models need to find life through deep personal commitment.
The PRC workshop and the Pension Adalat are important steps in implementing the directions of Hon’ble Prime Minister. My congratulations to Shri Sanjiv Mathur Additional Secretary DPPW and his team of dedicated officers who have strived tirelessly to curate today’s event.
The objective of today’s PRC workshop is to prepare the Retiring Officials for their post-retirement life, to enable a deeper understanding of the procedures and interaction with Government after retirement. Retirement envisages a transition from nearly 3 – 3 ½ decades in Government, and an official needs to be oriented adequately to ensure an orderly transition.
Pension gives retiring officials a sense of financial security in old age, should be sanctioned timely, with pay revisions and DA arrears being applicable as soon as they are due. In my interactions with Pension Welfare Associations, two issues always stood out – (i) timely disbursement of pension and (ii) quality health care. Both these issues have been taken up for discussion in today’s PRC workshop.
The DPPW has focused on the following subjects:
- Formalities necessary for timely payment of retirement benefits
- Filling up forms on Bhavishya
- Briefing on Integrated Pensioners Portal and Bhavishya
- CGHS/ Fixed Medical Allowances after Retirement
- Income Tax Incentives and Banking Facilities for Senior Citizens/ Pensioners
- DLC, Face Authentication, Pensioner Associations
- ANUBHAV – the platform for showcasing outstanding work done during service.
The first step is to complete the formalities necessary for timely payment of retirement benefits. The session on Filling up Pension Forms on Bhavishya is a guiding session on the subject. To monitor timely disbursement, the CGA had launched the “Dirghayu” App in the last PRC. Bhavishya is amongst Government of India’s top e-service delivery portals and has ensured end to end digitization of pension processing and payment.
The second step to understand the Integrated Pensioners Portal. The Department of Pension & Pensioners Welfare in collaboration with Pension Disbursing Banks has operationalized the Integrated Pensioners Portal which provides a range of services to Pensioners. The SBI and Canara Bank are the front runners in integrating their Pension Seva Portal with Bhavishya. With this integration, pensioners can get their pension slip, status of submission of life certificate and form 16 through the Integrated Pensioners Portal.
The third step is to submit an Anubhav Write up. Its important for every Retiring official to document his contribution to governance and I would urge each one of you to submit a write up of your decades of experience on the Anubhav Portal. The best write-ups receive the Anubhav Awards. Further the Anubhav Awardees Speak Webinar series provides opportunities to several Award Winners to share their experiences attended by massive audiences.
The fourth step is to understand the hospitals and CGHS benefits. CGHS plays a vital part in quality health care for pensioners with coverage from orthopedics to neurology, general medicine to surgery. Hospitals have dedicated wards and treatment facilities for pensioners. I have visited the RML and Safdarjang Hospitals to understand the facilities available to Pensioners for OPD and IPD care, both hospitals have organized structures for CGHS Pensioners. The CGHS has also undertaken a number of systemic reforms in their packages to ensure improved health care for pensioners.
The fifth step is to understand the Income Tax law for Pensioners and Senior Citizens. As also its important to understand the financing instruments available for pensioners. I would urge each of the participants to visit the exhibition curated by the Pension Disbursing Banks in the Vigyan Bhavan foyer.
Every Pensioner has to submit an annual certificate of existence. This is simplified by the Digital Life Certificate and the Face Authentication App. 30 Lacs Pensioners availed the DLC in 2022, and in 2023 it is expected that the number will rise to 50 lac.
Pensioner Grievances are filed on CPENGRAMS portal and addressed on a timely basis. Grievances are categorized, and nodal and appellate authorities are well defined. The timeline for redressal of grievances on CPENGRAMS is 30 days. Grievances can be filed through the call center operationalized by Department of Pension & Pensioners Welfare. Grievances often relate to delayed disbursement of pensions and interpretational issues under various rules administered by the Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare. Let me assure you that each grievance is accorded highest important and all efforts are made to provide redressal. Grievances of long standing nature are taken up in the Pension Adalat. The Pension Adalat provides an interface between the pensioner and the government.
The Rules administered by the Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare are the following:
- CCS Pension Rules 2021
- CCS Implementation of NPS Rules 2021
- CCS Extra-Ordinary Pension Rules 2023
- The provisions of these rules will be presented in the sessions today.
The Department of Pension and Pensioners welfare publishes monthly reports on CPENGRAMS and pending PPO’s which are circulated to all Departments/ Ministries. The publication of data sets has enabled timely processing of PPO’s.
Pensioner Welfare Associations are operational in all major cities and State Capitals and helpful in exchanging information on the challenges faced by Pensioners. For those officials who wish to join a Pensioner Welfare Association, the detailed list is available on DPPW portal.
I sincerely hope that this PRC Workshop will prepare each one of you for Retirement. If you have doubts, you are always welcome to reach out to any of the senior officials of Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare for clarifications.
Wishing each one of you a happy, healthy and peaceful retirement where pension benefits are sanctioned on time, digital portals provide ease of living post retirement and continued engagement with government is seamless and simple.