Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare (DoP&PW) today conducted Pensioners’ Awareness Program at Puducherry. This is the first physical program post pandemic covering the Southern region of country. The program was attended by more than 300 pensioners from Chennai and Puducherry in collaboration with Pensioners Associations from Chennai and Puducherry.

A team of officers from DoP&PW took sessions on Pension policy reforms & digitization regarding pension/ family pension sanction to Central Government pensioners, with the objective of updating the pensioners of the changes made under the “Ease of Living” initiative of the Government. Special sessions were organized on Income Tax matters related to pensioners as well as Digital means of submitting the Annual Life Certificates.

The objective of these programmes is to spread awareness of the various rules and procedures regarding pension entitlements and processes to Central Government pensioners as well as to update the pensioners about the changes that take place from time to time through various amendments in the policy and procedures. Such programs also serve as a feedback mechanism of pension policy from pensioners. 

Shri S N Mathur, Joint Secretary (DoP&PW), Shri Bhupal Nanda, CC (P)-CPAO, Shri Ruchir Mittal, Director, Dr Pramod Kumar, Director participated in the program. Shri S N Mathur, Joint Secretary (DoP&PW) informed the participants about various initiatives taken by the Department to enhance Ease of Living of Pensioners. Digital life Certificate was launched in 2014 which is available through Aadhaar based bio-metric devices, Indian Post Payments bank’s 1,90,000 Gramin Dak Sevaks and Doorstep banking by banks. Face authentication technology was launched in November, 2021 which will transform the way pensioners submit their life certificate.

Chief Controller (Pensions), CPAO, MoF also addressed the pensioners providing information about the common grievances faced by pensioners, their modes of redressal as well as new initiatives taken by CPAO to enhance Ease of Living of pensioners. A representative from CGHS also addressed the participants and provided information on the queries raised by pensioners.

To enhance “Ease of Living” of pensioners and family pensioners, Government of India has taken large number of welfare measures in pension policy as well as digitization of pension related processes. There have been a number of amendments in the pension rules and several clarificatory orders/ instructions have been issued during the last 50 years. These have been compiled and brought out as Central Civil Service (Pension) Rules, 2021 in December, 2021.

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