Submission of Annual Life Certificate – Issue being faced by BSNL Pensioners/Family Pensioner after reverting to SAMPANN

Submission of Annual Life Certificate – Issue being faced by BSNL Pensioners/Family Pensioner after reverting to SAMPANN.  In a letter dated October 7, 2023, the BSNL & DOT Pensioners Association urges the Controller General of Communication Accounts in New Delhi to reconsider recent changes in the life certificate submission process. They express concern about complications arising from the introduction of the “Jeevan Pramaan” portal and request a return to the previous practice of physical life certificate submission. The association also suggests conducting life certificate submission events in various locations to ease the burden on pensioners and family pensioners.

BSNL & DOT PENSIONERS ASSOCIATION (INDIA)
CENTRAL HEAD QUARTER, AHMEDABAD-380001.
(Registered under Indian Trade Union Act, 1925, Reg. No. C-G6456/2006
Affiliated to Bharat Pensioners Samaj, New Delhi)
Tamilnadu Circe

BDPA(I)//TNLC

07.10.2023

To
The Controller General of Communication Accounts,
New Delhi-110 001.

Sir,

Sub: Submission of Annual Life Certificate by the Pensioners / Family Pensioners – Reg.

I would like to bring to your kind notice that the Pr. CCA T.N. Circle issued a notification today (06.10.2023) to hold a Mela for Life Certificate in CCA Office in Chennai for those pensioners / Family Pensioners whose LC expired on 30.09.2023 and earlier. This is not constrained to the pensioners residing in and around Chennai & City Suburban. It is for the pensioners/Family pensioners of the entire circle from Chennai to Kanyakumari.

Hither to the life certificate was given in the month of November each year as per para 15.1 and 15.2 of Scheme for payment of pension to Central Government Civil Pensioner through Authorised banks. The Post Offices also were following the same procedure and there was no complaint of Non-drawal of Pension / FP for want of LC. The Dept. of Telecom has introduced a portal called “Jeevan Pramaan” and asked the DOT/BSNL Pensioners / Family Pensioners to submit LC digitally on this postal. For doing this the following documents are compulsorily required.

1) Aadhar Card Copy
2) PPO Copy (First Page with Name & PPO details)
3) PAN Card Copy
4) Filled in LC Form.

Actually when the pensioners / Family pensioners try to give digital life certificate it is not updating the Jeevan Pramaan software due to some differences in the name and other details of the pensioners, particularly family pensioners. At the time of issue of Aadhaar card initially the name of the family pensioners 1.e. widows are noted with the name of their husband’s name or father’s name as surname. This is not tallying with the name in the PPO where only the name of the widow or divorced, daughter etc are available without any surname. Because of this difference the LC is not updated n the Pramaan Software leading to the stoppage of drawal of FP to the Family pensioners. Further many of the centers are not clearly aware of the procedure for printing life certificate properly. Thus the family pensioners are suffering a lot due to non-drawal of FP for want of LC. It may please be noted that the Dept. of Pension and Pensioners welfare has prescribed so many procedures for submission of Life Certificate by giving a list of persons specified for signing the LC as per para 14.3 of Scheme Booklet by CPAO. This has been followed by the pensioners and family pensioners hither to without any problem.

Only after the migration of the drawal of pension and FP from various Banks / Post offices to CCA Offices the pensioners and family pensioners are suffering a lot due to stoppage of drawal of pension / FP due to non receipt of LC or not updating the LC in the Sampan software. This Association therefore request the CGCA and the DOT to kindly continue to hold the old practice on submission of LC singed by various authorities as usual. Such life certificates may be accepted and updated by engaging separate staff in the CCA offices. This work will be only for two or three months 1.e. November, December and if necessary for January also in the CCA offices. It may be noted that many pension disbursing authorities are still following the existing methods also in the matter of life certificate.

In the above instant case of T.N. Circle it is highly impossible to pensioners /  family pensioners to travel long distance of about 700 kms from Kanyakumari to Chennai to give life certificates. Such Melas may be conducted in all SSAs in the General Managers offices. It 1s also suggested that all the existing pensioners / family pensioners have already submitted LC during November 2022 in the Banks and Post officers, and therefore they may be allowed to submit the same again in November. All Pensioners / family pensioners may be allowed to submit LC in the month of November only by whatever means possible to them instead of Sampann procedure being introduced by the Dept. of Telecom as its own to avoid hardship to the Pensioners / family pensioners.

We hope that the needful will be done in this regard.

Thanking you,

Yours Sincerely

(D.CHANDRASEKARAN)
Circle Secretary &
All India Executive President

Copy to
1) The Secretary, Dept. of Telecom, New Delhi-1.
2) The Pr. CCA, T.N. Circle, Chennai.
3) The GS, BDPA(I), CHQ at Ahmedabad.
4) The District Secretaries of BDPA(I) in T.N. Circle.