Central pensioners can track status via SMS, online

New Delhi: Over 11.61 lakh Central government pensioners can now track the status of their pension and grievance redressal through SMS as well as monitor receipts online -- steps that aim to "lessen harassment" for senior citizens.

Launching the portal, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said it is an extremely important initiative which will lessen harassment.

The web portal launched by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today will enable central civil pensioners, family pensioners and freedom fighter pensioners to view their complete pension profile digitally by logging into www.Cpao.Nic.In.

They will also be provided with SMS facility for tracking status of pension process and their grievance registration as well as disposal.

The website, which will serve as a one-stop destination for providing information and speedy redressal of grievances, can also be accessed through mobile devices and it would also provide an option to pensioners to give their feedback.

Launching the portal, Jaitley said it is an extremely important initiative which will lessen harassment.

"Nobody should be harassed, least of all pensioners because they are mostly senior citizens. And they need that resource and their life depends on that resource. So any delay or red tapism can actually cause a lot of harassment if not destitution," he said.

He said the facility of tracking pension status on mobile phone is a giant step taken by the Central Pension Accounting Office (CPAO).

The website will provide one-stop solution for pensioners to access information relating to status of pension cases, and pension payments processed by central ministries and banks.

CPAO disburses the pensions through authorised banks to central government pensioners and in the current fiscal it is managing the pension budget of Rs 32,070 crore. In 2015-16, the CPAO handled 60,211 pensioners' grievances.

Speaking on the occasion, Controller General of Accounts M J Joseph said the portal will bring in transparency and accountability and ensure more responsive way of handling pensioners grievances.

PTI

Online system to check delay in pension soon

New Delhi: All Central government ministries will soon be connected to an online system to ensure quick grant of pension and check any delay in its disbursal.

"All central ministries and departments will be linked to the online Pension Sanction and Payment Tracking System Bhavishya very soon," Union Minister Jitendra Singh said.

Besides, the Centre has decided that all Pension Payment Orders (PPOs) will be digitised.

Addressing a conference of pensioners association, Union Minister Jitendra Singh suggested an institutionalised mechanism to make good use of the knowledge, experience and efforts of retired employees which can help in the value addition to the current scenario.

"All central ministries and departments will be linked to the online Pension Sanction and Payment Tracking System Bhavishya very soon," he said.

With this step, the pension release will be expedited and it will also help in quick resolution of pending issues, the Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, said.

Singh said India has a large number of pensioners and to make best use of them is a "challenge".

"Retired employees are a healthy and productive workforce for India and we need to streamline and channelise their energies in a productive direction. We should learn from the pensioners' experience," he said addressing the 28th Standing Committee of Voluntary Agencies (SCOVA) here.

Singh said that a focused approach and emphatic attitude need to be developed towards the pensioners.

Earlier, C Viswanath, the Secretary, Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare, and Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, directed that the Pension Payment Order (PPOs) sbe digitised.

The online Pension Sanction and Payment Tracking System Bhavishya' has introduced transparency and accountability into the pension sanction and payment process, thereby helping eliminate delays and bring satisfaction to the retiring employees and pensioners.

The system keeps retiring employees and administration informed of the progress of pension sanction process through SMS and e-mail.

In the year 2015-16, the scheme was scaled up and will eventually cover all 9,000 Drawing and Disbursal Offices (DDOs) in the country, the Secretary added.

PTI