Govt Issues Standardised Procedure Rules To Banks On Pension Release

After an analysis of the grievances received by the Department of Pension and Pensioners' Welfare under the Personnel Ministry, the ministry has issued consolidated guidelines to chairman and managing directors (CMDs) of the pension disbursing banks to create awareness among Central Pension Processing Centre (CPPC)/ bank branches on updated rules and instructions in this regard.

The Personnel Ministry said that banks are adopting different procedures while releasing pension or seeking certificates from pensioners at different periodicity.

"It has been observed that updated and consolidated instructions will help improve the processing of pensioner's requests by banks and others," the department said in an order issued on Friday.

All banks have been advised to comply with these consolidated guidelines and to give wide publicity by putting up these instructions on their websites and also on the notice boards of the branches of the bank, etc.

The new guidelines include:

• Identify the family pensioners based on the information furnished in PPO and its own KYC procedure without insisting him/her to physically present himself/herself in the paying bank.
• Banks will not insist on opening a new account when the spouse already has a joint account with the pensioner and authorisation for payment of family pension exists in the PPO in his/her favour.
• Pension disbursing banks will also accept Aadhaar-enabled digital life certificate "Jeevan Pramaan."
• Pensioners who are 80 years and above can submit life certificates in the month of October also.
• "No fresh certificate of disability would be required in the case of a child with permanent disability."
• A disabled child will also be required to self-certify every year that he/she has not started earning his/her livelihood.
• If family pension has been sanctioned to a disabled child and the disability is temporary, the guardian of such disabled child shall produce a disability certificate once in every five years to the effect that he/she continues to suffer from such disorder /disability in order to continue family pension.
• If the spouse is a recipient of family pension, no certificate of remarriage is required to be furnished by him/her.
• At the time of commencement of family pension, an undertaking will be obtained from him/her to the effect that in the event of his/her remarriage, he/she will report the fact to the pension disbursing bank promptly.
• Childless widow of a deceased government servant and disabled child of a pensioner/government servant will continue to get family pension even if they get married/remarried, as per the guidelines.
• A family pensioner, other than a spouse, has to submit a declaration of non-marriage/non re-marriage every six months. The family pension is discontinued if she/he gets married/re-married.
• Pension disbursing banks will send SMS/emails to all their pensioners on 24 October, 1 November, 15 November and 25 November every year reminding them to submit their annual life certificates by November 30.
• On 15 December every year of those pensioners who fail to submit their life certificate will receive another SMS/email to them for submitting the life certificate.
• Bank will also ask such pensioners through SMS/email whether they are interested in submission of life certificate through a chargeable door-step service, on a nominal charge not exceeding Rs 60.