GUIDELINES : COMPLAINTS ON PENSION PROBLEMS/GRIEVANCES TO PCDA(P) ALLAHABAD

          All Veteran Brothers are hereby informed to follow the undermentioned guidelines while petitioning their complaints on pension matters to PCDA(P) scrupulously:-

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Complaints.

1. If you want to represent any problem to the office of PCDA (P) please furnish following information/particulars along with full details of your problem/grievance.

(i) Your name, Regt. No., Record Office/H.O.O. from where you retired.

(ii) P.P.O,. No. and date under which the pension was granted in your favour

(iii) Name of the P.D.A./Bank from where you are drawing your pension with saving bank/current account number.

(iv) TS/PS/HO number allotted to you (incase of DPDOs, Treasuries, Post Offices and PAOs).

Arrear of Pension:-

1. Pension undrawn for more than one year becomes time barred, which is paid only after sanction of the Competent Authority i.e. TO/PAO/DPDO. In the case of PSBs, the arrear claim on the prescribed form should be submitted to the bank to enable them to obtain the sanction of PCDA (P) Allahabad/CDA Chennai/CDA (PD) Meerut.
Joint Notification of Family Pension:-

1. The widow in whose favour the pension has been jointly notified should report the death of her husband to the P.D.A. and submit the death certificate to enable him to commence payment of family pension from the date following the date of death of her husband.

Nomination for LTA:-

1. Pensioners are advised to nominate their families in whose favour family pension has been jointly notified to enable her to receive lifetime arrears in case of his death. In case his wife is not alive he should nominate other members of his family to avoid inconvenience in obtaining Life Time Arrears by the Legal heirs.

Certificates:-

Submit periodical certificates regarding re-employment/ employment/ earning widowhood to your P.D.A. on due dates in order to regulate your pension correctly.

Physically Handicapped Mentally Retarded Children:-

1. If you have any physically handicapped/mentally retarded child, you may apply to your HOO/RO/Army Hqrs. for making an endorsement in your service & pension record and keep the acknowledgement of this intimation.

RSMB:-

1. You are advised to appear before the Re-Survey Board on due date as arranged by the Record-office. In case you fail to appear before R.S.M.B. for a long time, submit delay explanation alongwith non conviction and non-reemployment certificates to the R.O. for arranging a fresh R.S.M.B.

Rejection of Dis. Pension:-

In case disability pension is rejected, you may make an appeal to the Govt. of India within 6 months through Record Office, if you feel that the disability in your case is due to service factors. Similarly family of the deceased can also make an appeal, if the claim for special family pension is rejected.

Family Members:-

1. If a pensioner has married after discharge or has children born after discharge, or wife/children have died report the matter with full details and certificates (birth/death/marriage/remarriage) to Record Office/Head of the Office for record in Kindred Roll portion of Sheet-roll/Service Book in order to avoid any difficulty in the event of need.

2. If joint notification of family pension has not been done in your case, apply to your P.D.A. on the proper form to enable him to process the joint notification of F.P. through R.O./H.O.O., A.H.Qrs.

Two Pensions:-

If a pensioner is in receipt of more than one pension, he should furnish full details to the P.D.A. for revision of both the pensions and regulating dearness relief on both the pensions

Restoration of Commuted Portion of Pension:-

1. Commuted portion of pension will be restored by the P.D.A. on his own without obtaining any order from this office after obtaining requisite application after 15 years from the date of first payment or from the date pension was reduced in case of subsequent commutation. Convicted Pensioner:-

If a pensioner is convicted or sentenced to imprisonment by a Court, his pension will be suspended. He should submit the copy of the Court order to the PDA to enable him to report the matter to this office for obtaining the orders of the Competent Authority. On release from the Jail he should report the matter to the P.D.A. and submit the requisite documents to enable him to refer the matter to this office for obtaining the orders of the C.E.A. for restoration of his pension.

Annual Identification:-

1. A life certificate is required to be produced by the pensioner, who is unable to appear due to bodily illness or infirmity and desires payment through a representative once in the month of November each year.

2. Pensioners who are receiving payment from PSBs and D.P.D.Os should appear before the P.D.A. once each year in the month of November for identification

Court Attachment:-

1. No pension whether due or to become due can be attached by process of any Court until it has actually been paid as per pension Act XXII of 1871.

2. No pensioner can assign or sell any interest in respect of the pension not then due.

Insane Pensioner:-

1. If a pensioner becomes insane, his dependents should obtain a certificate from the Magistrate and produce the pension certificate and life certificate for drawing pension. If the pensioner is lodged in an asylum the cost of pensioner's maintenance will be paid by the dependents to the asylum authorities as per orders of the Court on an application by the asylum authorities under the provisions of section 25 of Lunacy Act.

Payment of Dearness Relief:-

Group 'A' officers are not entitled to dearness relief during re-employ under a Govt. office/company/Corporation/Undertaking/Autonomous body. PBORs are entitled for dearness relief during re-employment under above organizations subject to production of a certificate from his re-employer that his pay has been fixed at the minimum of the scale of the post on which he has been re-employed and his entire amount of pension has been ignored in fixation of pay on re-employment. Drawal of Pension Through Agent:-

Pensioners who desire to draw pension while residing outside India may open a non-resident account in any of the Scheduled Public Sector Banks in India. He should execute a power of attorney in India before proceeding Ex.India on a non-judicial stamp paper or on a plain paper affixed with adhesive stamp paper of appropriate value, before the Notary Public or any Magistrate. The pensioner shall furnish life certificate once a year through High Commission/Embassy of that Country where he/she resides. If he has changed his nationality in Country other than South Africa and Israel. Sanction of this office will be required through his P.D.A. for continuation of his pension.

Release of Withheld Gratuity:-

1. The withheld amount of D.C.R.G. is payable after six months from the date of retirement without any authorisation from this office.

2. If a pensioner desires to get his pension account transferred from one P.D.A. to another in India, he is required to submit an application to his present P.D.A. No application is required to be submitted to this office. Transfer of pension accounts outside India is not permissible.

Commutation of Pension:-

Commuted portion of pension is required to be reduced from pension from the date of payment or after 3 months from the date of issue of P.P.O. and in the case of P.S.Bs from the date, capitalised sum is credited to the pensioners' account. If the commuted portion of pension is not reduced as above, please point out to the P.D.A. to avoid heavy recovery at a later stage.

Loss of Documents:-

1. In case P.P.O. is lost in transit before receiving first payment, PDA should be approached to furnish loss certificate to the Pension Sanctioning Authorities for issue of duplicate copy of the P.P.O.

2. In case pension certificate is lost before receiving first payment, Pension Sanctioning Authority may be approached through respective Record Office/Head of the office for issue of duplicate Pension Certificate.

3. In case pension certificate is lost, exhausted, mutilated after receiving first payment, P.D.A. should be approached to issue duplicate/additional copy of Pension Certificate.

Receipt of Pension Papers:-

1. Pension sanctioning authorities send the PPOs to the respective Record Offices in respect of PBORs, Heads of the office in respect of Defence Civilians and to the Pension Disbursing Authorities in respect of Commissioned officers.

2. Record offices send the PPOs along with the Descriptive Rolls to the desired P.D.A. with a copy to the pensioners along with Pension Certificates. Similarly Heads of the offices send the PPOs and the Pension certificates to the PDAs with a copy to the Pensioners. PPOs along with descriptive particulars in respect of commissioned officers are sent directly to the PDAs under intimation to the officers.

3. On receipt of Call letter from the PDAs or within reasonable time, the pensioners should report to the PDA for receiving first payment. The pensioners are required to produce pension certificate/intimation letter received from the Head of office/RO/PSA as the case may be to the P.D.A.

Missing Pensioner:-

1. In case a pensioner is missing, his family should lodge an F.I.R. with the police authorities. If the pensioner is not traced after one year she should obtain a certificate from the police authorities and report the matter to the PDA and submit the required documents i.e. Indemnity Bond to him to enable him to submit the case to this office for sanction of family pension from the date of lodging F.I.R.


(SOURCE : CENTRAL GOVT STAFF NEWS)

OPEN LETTER TO HONOURABLE R M REQUESTING FOR SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT/PARITY IN PENSIONS OF PRE-1.1.06 PBOR RETIREES W.E.F.1/7/09( AS ENVISAGED IN UNION BUDGET ON 06.7.09 )

          The following letter is posted for the information of all Veteran Brothers. As can be seen, the anamolies of the GOs, if rectified, shall elevate the pre-96 pensioners to WHAT IS RECOMMENDED IN THE cOs REPORT OF 30.6.09.  Your reactions/comments, if any, be posted in Comments col.

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""""""MAY BE TREATED AS MOST URGENT  (FOLLOW-UP:UNION BUDGET 2009-10)

From: GV Narayana (612027/S, Ex-Sgt /GpY),
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To : The Hon. Defence Minister (Resp.Shri AK Antony Garu)
Govt.of India, Ministry of Defence, New Delhi.

SUGGESTION FOR SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT/PARITY IN PENSIONS OF PRE-1.1.06 PBOR RETIREES W.E.F.1/7/09( AS ENVISAGED IN UNION BUDGET ON 06.7.09 )

Honourable Defence Minister Sir,

1. My heartfelt Gratitude/Salutations for your humane consideration, the Pensions issue of PBORs ( pathetic plight) resulting in time bound finalization of the CoS Committee (headed by the Cabinet Secretary) recommendations for PIP/OROP in r/o pre-&;post 1.1.96, pre and post 10.10.97, and pre 1.1.06 PBORs on par with pensions of post 1.1.06 retirees, its acceptance by the Govt of India, which became History. And Sir, the HONOURABLE FINANCE MINISTER, in his Budget Speech on 6.7.09, announced that the Govt. had decided to (1) TO SUBSTANTIALLY IMPROVE PENSIONS OF PRE-1.1.96 PBOR RETIREES (2) BRING PRE-& POST-10.10.97 PBORS RETIREES ON PAR WITH POST- 1.1.06 PBOR RETIREES (3) GIVE EFFECT FROM 01.07.09.

BRIEF HOSTORY – PBORs PENSIONS:-

In this context, I wish to bring to your kind notice, that the MINIMUM/ MAXIMUM PENSIONS were fixed during different CPCs (IV, V and VI) based usually on a criteria of qualifying service to earn pension(minimum 15 years), Rank held at the time of release, last 10 months average emoluments drawn. The Minimum/Maximum Pensions of Defence pensioners were fixed @Rs.375/-/(LOWEST) and Rs.4500/-pm (HIGHEST)(OF CIVILIAN PENSIONERS)w.e.f.1.1.86 (IV CPC), and were revised to Rs.1275/-(by 3.4 times) and Rs.15000/-(by 3.333 times)(LOWEST/ HIGHEST SLABS) w.e.f.1.1.96 (V CPC), as per GOI OM No. F.No.45/86/ 97-P&PW(A)Part II D/d 27.10.1997. These CIVIL PENSIONERS provisions were, IPSO FACTO, applied to PBORs pensioners without taking into a/c the entirely different trade/group structure, pay scales/responsibilities attached to the duties of Armed Forces Personnel.

The GOI, MOD vide No.(1)/99/D(Pen/ Sers), D/d 7.6.99, had modified the provisions relating to Minimum/Maximum Pensions, viz:- ‘PARA 1…w.e.f. 1.1.96, pension of all Armed Forces Pensioners irrespective of their date of retirement SHALL NOT BE LESS THAN 50% OF THE MINIMUM PAY IN THE REVISED SCALES OF PAY INTRODUCED W.E.F. 1.1.96 OF THE RANK AND RANK AND GROUP (IN CASE OF PBORS) HELD BY THE PENSIONERS” and “PARA 2.2.(a). The revision of service pension in terms of these modified Orders in respect of PBOR retirees will not be beneficial except for the rank of JCOs granted Hony.commission of Lt/Capt as the service pension is calculated at the maximum of the pay scale including 50% of the highst classn allowance, if any, of the rank/group in which it is paid.” These orders were implemented without applying the criteria “ NOT LESS THAN 50% MIN.”scale of pay of Rank/Group held on retirement by PBORs.

In the meanwhile Sir, the MOD had Restructured all the Groups/Trades of Armed Forces personnel, based on ENTRY QUALIFICATION criteria (Spl AFI 1/S/98) such as Matric/Non-Matric/Diploma/Degreee qualifications, w.e.f. 10.10.97. As a result the IAF’ trades in old Gp I has become Gp X, old Gps II & III were merged and become Gp Y and the old Gps IV & V were merged and become Gp Z. Accordingly the Pay scales of Group Y and Z were revised upwardly(Group X’s remained unchanged). The minimum scale of pay of lowest rank/group fixed was - AC (Gp X) – Rs,3675/- (Gp Y )-Rs.3250/-, (Gp Z)- Rs.3050/- and their MINIMUM pension @ 50% of scale should have been Rs.1838/-, Rs.1625/- and Rs.1515/- respectively w.e.f. 10.10.97. But surprisingly pre-10.10.97 (Pre & post 1.1.96) PBORs retirees pensions were not revised as per new pay scales applicable to them, resulting in emergence of 3 PBOR categories PBORs i.e. Pre-1.1.96, Post 1.1.96/Pre-10.10.97 and Post 10.10.97, each with different pension rates. Also the orders of RESTRUCTURING OF GROUPS VIZ. X Y & Z w.e.f. 10.10.97 were not implemented on the plea that this POLICY IS NOT APPLICABLE IN R/O RETIREES OF PRE -10.10.97, AND THEIR GROUPS WILL REMAIN THE SAME (GROUP I TO V) FOR FUTURE REVISIONS",as clarified by AFRO New Delhi.

Furthermore, Sir, as sequel to the Hon. President’s (Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam) declaration during Republic Day Parade celebrations on 26.1.2006, the MOD had issued another order on 1.2.06 to IMPROVE THE PENSIONARY BENEFITS OF PRE-1.1.96 PBORs pensioners, envisaging interalia, a MINIMUM PENSION OF Rs.1913/-.(a 1.5 times increase over Rs.1275/-) (V CPC rate) and directed the authorities to comply. But sadly again, Sir, the MOST IMPORTANT CIRCULAR NO. 350 d/d 19.5.06 of PCDA Allahabad simply excluded the MINIMUM PENSION OF Rs.1913/- criteria envisaged in the MOD order. However, strangely a different and unrelated order of the GOI, issued in 2004 on the MERGER OF 50% DEARNESS PENSION and already in vogue w.e.f. 01.4.04 (in r/o all Central Govt Employees including Defence pensioners), was not incorporated, resulting in very low fixation of pensions (even lower than the existing ones) in r/o PBORs (Sepoys /Naiks/Havildar &equivalents) with service upto 20 years (Table Nos. 59 to 72 of Cir.No.350 d/d 19.5.06). Therefore, Sir, the very concern/purpose of the Govt of India/MOD to IMPROVE THE PENSIONARY BENEFITS TO PBORs of pre-10.10.97 was defeated per se. If these orders were implemented, the revised Minimum Pensions of the Lowest Rank/Group could have been – AC-Gp X-Rs. 2757/-(1.5 times of 1838), Gp Y- Rs.2438/-(1.5 times of 3250/-), Gp Z-Rs.2288/-(1.5. times of 1525/-). Moreover, the detailed guidelines and directing all the PDAs to revise/fix pensions or PBORs on their own and not to wait for instructions/Corr. PPOs from the Govt. have only added confusion. The net result, there is a total confusion and the PDAs have not yet revised the pensions of PBORs in terms of Circular No.350 D/d 19/5/06.

Consequent to the recommendations of 6th CPC, the MOD’s issued pension orders on 11.11.08 for revision of pension of PBORs of Pre-1996 (VI CPC) w.e.f. 1.1.06 with a criteria of “NOT LESS THAN 50% PAY AS MINIMUM PENSION “ for a “20 YEARS SERVICE” period. The 6th CPC had revised Minimum/Maximum Pensions to Rs.3500/-(by 2.745 times of Rs.1275/-(LOWEST) and Rs.45000/-)(by 3 time of Rs.15000/ (HIGHEST) ranks respectively(for Civilian pensioners) w.e.f. 1.1.06. But a Fitment Formula of 2.26 times increase over old pensions of PBORs or With Minimum 50% of revised Pay Scale/Pay Band, MSP (VI CPC) for 33 years qualifying service to earn pension was made applicable to them to be reduced pro-rata in case of less years of 33 years maximum service. The VI CPC had further revised the Group to X and Y only. With all these new changes, the PBORs pensions which were less and plaguing, have been further nose-dived/reduced to an astonishing low level.

SUGGESTIONS

(A) The MOD Order of 3.10.00/10.11.00 -Restructuring of Groups/Trades on Entry Qualifications w.e.f. 10.10.97 may be implemented for all Pre-10.10.97 PBORs retirees, and on the basis of the revised group pay scales. The Pension Provisions (@50% Min. pay scale of the rank/group) of MOD order d/d7.6.99 be implemented w.e.f.10.10.97(V CPC).

(B) The MOD Order of 1.2.06 which raised the bar of Min.Pen.of Rs.1275/-(V CPC) to Rs.1913/(VI CPC)(by 1.5. times) may be implemented w.e.f. 1.1.96 in r/o all Pre&Post 10.10.97 PBORs retirees

(C) The 6th CPC’s formula of revised Pensions of Rs.3500/-(Min)(2.745 times of Rs.1275/-V CPC) and Rs.45000/- (Max)(3 times of Rs.15000/- V CPC) of Civil Pensioners, may be modified to 3 times increase(in place of 2.26 times) uniformly on old Min/Max pensions and applied to all pre-1.1.06 Defence Pensioners (by amending the terms of MOD Order dated 11.11.08) w.e.f. 1.1.06 ).(Rs.1913/- by 3 times – Rs.5740/-at a minimum rate to lowest rank/group PBOR).

(D) A 100% or 75% (in place of existing 50%) MSP may be added as a separate entity, (SPECIAL TOKEN/PAY BACK MEASURE BY GOI) w.e.f. 1.7.09 to all PBORs retirees.

(E) Sir, presently, the Medical Allowance @Rs.100/-pm is granted to all PBORs living in non CGHS locations from the year 1997. Keeping in view the failing health conditions of PBORs retirees due to advancing of age/living in countryside and steep rise in cost of medicines / consultation fee etc. there is an urgent need for sympathetic consideration for an upward revision of the same. The Medical Allowance (non-CGHS category) to all PBORs may be enhanced to Rs. 1500/- pm, to meet ends of justice. .

2. In view of the foregoings, I earnestly request you Sir to kindly consider and order to set right and revise the PBORs pensions on the above suggested manner or other more beneficial method, since the Govt had taken cognizance of the malady and decided to redress, and initiated steps in that direction. This would surely go a longway in benefiting the entire community of PBORs, who shall ever remain indebted and grateful to you.

3. Thanking your Sir, in anticipation of early orders.

Yours faithfully,

(G.V. NARAYANA)

Date: 13th July, 2009 612027, Ex-Sgt

Copy to:
1) The Secy, Deptt of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, - For kind information/action, please.
GOI, Ministry of Defence, New Delhi

2) The Air HQ (Dte of Pay, Pension Regs), West Block 6, - For kind info/action, please.
RK Puram, New Delhi-110066

3) The Chief Controller of Defence Accounts, New Delhi – For kind info/action, please.

4) The PCDA(Pensions),Droupadighat, Allahabad – For kind information/action please.

5)The AFRO (Info/Query Cell), New Delhi-10 – W.r.t. my e-mail of 29.6.09 (Your
Query No.7579 & reply e-mail of 8/7/09). For kind info/action please.