Payment of Provision Family Pension to the spouse of Pensioner died during pandemic Covid-19: BPS writes to Hon’ble Minister
BHARAT PENSIONERS SAMAJ
(AlI India Federation of Pensioners” Associations)
No. BPS/SG/FP/Pensioner/2 1/5
Dated the 19th May 2021
DR. JITENDRA SINGH
HON’BLE MINISTER OF STATE
M/O PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES & PENSIONS
Reg: PAYMENT OF PROVISIONAL FAMILY PENSION TO THE SPOUSE OF PENSIONER DIED DURING PANDEMIC COVID -19.
Respected Sir,
Bharat Pensioners Samaj, while appreciating the various welfare measures undertaken by the Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare under your leadership, seek your intervention to mitigate the suffering of spouses of pensioners died during Covid -19 period.
Sir, we with a heavy heart bring to your kind notice that, during this second wave, many of the Central Government pensioners have succumbed to Corona. Ina bid to curb spread of novel Corona Virus in the country, many of the State Governments have declared Lock-down for a period ranging from 15 days to a month or two. During this lockdown period, the concerned State Governments have issued guidelines to the offices and also Central Government offices, in their respective States, to function with bare minimum staff. As a result of this, spouses of pensioners, who died due to Covid or any other reasons, may not able to submit Form No. 14, duly filled and signed with all the relevant documents, in view of the lockdown declared by the Government and in the absence of functioning of government offices with full strength, there may be delay in their submission of Family Pension Application, which, in tum, may result in delay in getting their family pension sanctioned.
As you are aware, only Central Government employees/pensioners, who are residing in areas where CGHS Wellness Centres and CGHS empanelled Hospitals exist, can avail CGHS facilities in the empanelled hospitals . During this pandemic, other Central Government employees/pensioners are being denied admission in the CGHS empanelled hospitals when they are inflicted by Covid or for any other reasons when they desire to get admission using CGHS Card. In view of this, many Central Government employees/pensioners/family pensioners, during this pandemic, had to meet hospitalisation expenses from their own savings. Consequent to death of employees/pensioners, due to Covid or any other health reasons, their spouses or family members are not only put to financial hardship having spent huge sum towards hospitalisation expenses, but also due to the delay in getting their family pension consequent to the delay in submission of Form No. 14 (Family Pension Application) along with all the required documents. Having spent their savings towards hospitalisation, pensioners’ spouses may find difficulties in meeting their day to day expenses and medical needs, if there is delay in getting their family pension.
In this connection, we wish to bring to your kind attention that, in order to avoid any hardship to the family of the deceased Government servant, the Government has relaxed the provisions of Rule 80-A of the CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972, – vide its OM dated 29.7.2020(copy enclosed) to the extent that if a claim for family pension in Form 14 along with death certificate and bank account details of the claimant has been received and the Head of Office is satisfied about the bonafide of the claim, he shall sanction provisional family pension immediately in the case of death of a Government servant during service and that the amount of provisional family pension shall not exceed the maximum family pension as admissible under Rule 54 of CCS Pension Rules, 1972. As the concerned Pension Sanctioning Authority would have authorised for payment of family pension to his or her spouse in the PPO issued to him or her at the time of issuing Pension Payment Order to him/her, provisional family pension can be sanctioned pending receipt of Family Pension Application (Form No. 14), duly filled and signed with all the relevant documents for further processing and sanctioning of Family Pension.
Considering the hardship faced by the pensioner’s spouses, if the family pension is not sanctioned immediately, especially during this COVD 19 pandemic and also in normal course, we request your good self to consider sanctioning of provisional family pension to the spouses of pensioners, who have succumbed to Corona or due to any other diseases during this pandemic , just as has been done in the case of death of a Government servant during service in terms of Dop& PW OM dated 27.7.2020, on receipt of a request on a plain paper for sanction of provisional family pension along with Doctor’s Certificate relating to death with copies of Aadhar card/Pension Payment Order/first page of pass book, pending submission of Form No.14 along with other relevant documents.
Kindly cause to issue necessary orders, in this regard, at the earliest.
Thanking you,
With regards
Yours faithfully,
For Bharat Pensioners Samaj
S.C. MAHESHWARI
SECRETARY-GENERAL
CC: 1. SRIINDEVAR PANDE, IAS, SECRETARY, DOP&PW
2. Sri Sanjiv Narain Mathur, IAS, Joint Secretary (Pension), DOP& PW
3. Smt. Seema Gupta, Director (Pension), DoP&PW
4. Sri Rajesh Kumar, Under Secretary
4. All the Affiliates\
S.C. MAHESHWARI
SECRETARY-GENERAL
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