25th SCOVA meeting on 05.09.2014 Feedback

25^th SCOVA meeting on 05.09.2014

Feedback 

1.Secy.JCM (staff side) Com. Shiva Gopal Mishra supported BPS on all Issue raised by it in SCOVA 25^th meeting 0n 5^th of Sept 2014 and we are thankful

Honorable MOS DrJitinder Singh arrived at 11.25 hrs. SCM Secy. Genl BPS & ComS.G.Mishra Secy.JCM (staff side) were seated exactly opposite the Honorable MOS(P).First of all tribute was paid to Sh Umraomal Prohit. One minute silence was observed in his honor.While welcoming, the Minister.MsVandana Sharma J.S (p) gave brief description of SCOVA & other activities &achievements of DOPPW. There after MOS took up the Mic to speak but Secy. JCM requested him to first have feel of the house to which the Minister agreed .

Secy. JCM while introducing himself stressed (i)that the  SCOVA Agenda  be decided in consultance with JCM(staff side) & SCOVA members (ii)More time be given for SCOVA meeting with increased frequency& if need be meeting may be conducted on Saturday or Sundays (iii)Court judgments be implemented to all similarly placed pensioners w/o trying to push each one of them to the Court. (iv) every ministry & Departments have agreed to meet pensioners once a week but Rly Ministry will meet 11 lac pensioner  only once a year i.e. on 15^th of December  which is ridiculous (v) SCOVA Minutes are one sided, it should contain non official member’s version also. Draft minutes should be circulated first for member’s comments.

Secy Genl BPS SCM pointed out(i) that though Pensioners Portal is promptly providing orders/circulars/notifications issued by DOPPW but other Ministries & Departments are not doing so (ii)Grievances recorded on Portal are closed for the sake of closing & are not being resolved properly.(iii) when tried to raise the issue of implementation of CAT ordersJS interrupted saying that it is  in today’s Agenda & will be discussed when Agenda is taken- up. Sh. Y.N. Sastry pointed out that when 7^th CPC was requested for effective grievance redressal mechanism. Chairman remarked “It will not help you. Court is the only alternative” which amply highlights the poor grievance mechanism.

Minister’s response was positive & Secy. was asked to take notes of the issues raised, he observed that henceforth Grievances should not be closed for the sake of closing. He also advised SCOVA members & representative of Pensioners Associations especially those based in Delhi & NCR to often visit DOPPW to interact with officers & to assist them to serve Pensioners in a better way.As the minister was required to attend visiting Australian PM he left after his address with instructions to Secretary to continue.

ATR  & Fresh Agenda was discussed thereafter. Highlights as follows

1.Issue of revised PPOS : Non official SCOVA members expressed reservation& suspicion on the  progress given in ATR

2.Pension Adalat :Non official members asked for amendment in Pension Adalat Rules to allow Associations to plead Pensioners cases and for increase in frequency.

3.CGHS :  Discrimination with Postal pensioners & extention of facility to BSNL Pensioners 2.Secy Genl BPS pointed out the health care is not a luxury in the hands of few privileged rather it is a fundamental Right of all present &past employees w/o  status or departments discrimination as pronounced by Supreme Court . All Pensioners irrespective of department & status t be provided adequate health care facilities. Secy DOPW  remarked “I fully agree with you” .Issue of  supply of medicines, reimbursements increasing coverage etc were also raised  : Secy ruled, DOPPW will request M/o Health & FW to evolve integrated health care system . Till such time JS (p) will take up with DG CGHS the issues of discrimination with Postal pensioners, extension of facilty to BSNL pensioners & supply of medicine etc.

4.     Implementationof OA655/2010 extension of OM dt 28.1.2013 wef from 01.01.06: Issue was very strongly raised by S.C. Maheshwari  Secy. genl. BPS supported by JCM Secy Com Shiva Gopal Mishra & Com S.K.Vyas. After persistent  pressure . Secy. Said “though I have just taken over, I have studied the case in detail. I am seized of the issue& trying to resolve give me some time. Govt. will have to implement Court’s orders”.

5. Dedicated Day of the week to meet Pensioners: While every department  allotted a day per week to meet pensioners Rlys Ministry Said they will meet only once a year on 15^th December .This was termed ridiculous by both official & non official side . Rly Bd representative assured to review it. Similarly Department of Ex-servicemen Welfare was bitterly criticized by non official members for asking ex-servicemen to  avail the facility at Allahabad  only

6. Merger of 78% IDA in case of BSNL pensioners:  Orders to be issued within aweek

7.Anomoly in fixation of pension DOT/BSNL : Case to be resolved within a month

8.Demand of insolvency & income certificate from Thesildar  by Rlys to sanction family pension to widowed,divorced & unmarried dependent daughters: Secy. SCOVA told Rly Board representative to make their subordinate offices to understand that self-certification is to be accepted.

9.Stepping up of Disability Element on the basis of Fitment Table :1.For ex-servicemen: Under active consideration of MOD 2. For Civil Pensioners proposal submitted to DOE on 23.7.2014 approval awaited.

S.C.Maheshwari

S.G. Bharat Pensioners Samaj

25TH Meeting of Standing Committee of Voluntary Agencies (SCOVA)  MOS (P)’s Speech as reported by PIB

The Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr. Jitendra Singh presided over the 25th Meeting of Standing Committee of Voluntary Agencies (SCOVA) here today.  MOS (PP) informed the members of the SCOVA that this Department has made significant changes in the pension rules for the Central Government employees. The time prescribed for processing pension papers has been reduced from two years to one year. The procedure for verification of service for Pensionary benefits has been made simpler and quicker. Now service verification certificate will be issued twice – once after 18 years of service and then five years before superannuation. Provision has been made to rely upon the statement made by the Govt. servant in rare circumstances of non-availability of service records. These steps will eliminate the delay in verification of service, which is the most common cause for delay in getting pension.  Department of Pension & Pensioners` Welfare receives pension grievances electronically on the Centralized Pension Grievances Redressal and Monitoring System (CPENGRAMS). Grievances are also received in the form of manual letters which are also put into CPENGRAMS application for easy monitoring. The various Ministries and Departments also receive grievances directly from pensioners under their own login ID. For redressal, regular review meeting is being held preferably once in a month with various Ministries/Departments. During the current financial year against a total of 10,051 grievances, 6,197 were disposed of, with a balance of 3,854 pending grievances.  Dr. Jitendra Singh further informed that the Department of Pension & Pensioners` Welfare has started organizing Pre-Retirement Counseling (PRC) workshop on last Wednesday of every month for the benefit of retiring employees of the Government of India as a welfare measure. The workshop with retiring employees focuses on the following aspects: (i) formalities necessary for timely payment of retirement benefits (ii) motivation as well as mind-set change for post-retirement activities (iii) Facilities of CGHS/Fixed Medical Allowances after retirement (iv) advice on financial matters i.e. investments, and (v) preparation of Will. The Department has organized 4 PRC workshops till August 2014 this financial year.  *** KSD/PK/BK/AKY