Pension norms eased for families of deceased staff

Pension norms eased for families of deceased staff

Several govt. employees have died of COVID-19, says Centre

05/06/2021

S. Vijay Kumar CHENNAI

The Union government has written to all Ministries relaxing the norms for disbursing pension to families of deceased employees considering their urgent need of funds for their livelihood.

The authorities have been told to disburse the provisional family pension immediately after receiving the claim with a death certificate.

According to sources in the Railways, the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions wrote to the Railway Board and Secretaries of all Ministries on Thursday on simplified payment of family pension, death gratuity and other dues to the family on death of a government servant during service saying that the COVID-19 pandemic had claimed the lives of several government employees during the recent surge.

‘Sole bread-winners’

“In many cases, the deceased employees were the sole bread-winners of their families and the casualties have left families devastated and in an urgent need for funds for livelihood. It is, therefore, incumbent on the government to ensure that the family pension and other entitlements in respect of the deceased employees are released to their families expeditiously,” the advisory said.

Family pension

Stating that the completion of the process for sanction of family pension and its disbursement through the bank could take some time, the department cited provisions under Rule 80-A of the Central Civil Service (Pension) Rules, 1972, that provided for payment of provisional family pension and also provisional death gratuity, pending issue of the Pension Payment Order (PPO).

The advisory urged all Ministries to strictly comply with an earlier order calling for sanction of provisional family pension by the Head of Office immediately on receipt of a claim for family pension and death certificate from the eligible family member, without waiting for forwarding of the family pension case to Pay & Accounts Office (PAO).

Rule 80-A provides for payment of provisional death gratuity by the Head of Office once the family pension/death gratuity case has been forwarded to the PAO.

Regular pension

“Simultaneously, action may be taken on priority basis for disbursement of regular family pension through the bank and for payment of other entitlements of the family on death of the government servant. It may be ensured that the PPO for family pension is issued and disbursement of regular family pension is commenced by the bank not later than one month after the receipt of the claim for family pension,” the communication said.

Ready reckoners

To facilitate expeditious disbursement of all the entitlements of the family on death of a government servant, two separate ready reckoners were sent to all Ministries to calculate the pension and other terminal benefits for employees under the Old Pension Scheme and the National Pension System, the sources added.