Fresh Agenda Items – 27th SCOVA meeting on 13th Oct, 2015

F.No. 42/07/2015-P&PW(G)
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel Public Grievances & Pensions
Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare

3rd Floor, Lok Nayak Bhavan,
Khan Market, New Delhi – 110003
Date : 09 Oct, 2015

To
All the Pensioners Associations included in SCOVA
Vide Resolution dated 25.08.2015

Subject :- Fresh Agenda Items – 27th SCOVA meeting.

Please find enclosed herewith a copy of Fresh Agenda Items to be taken up for discussion in 27th meeting of the Standing Committee of Voluntary Agencies (SCOVA) to be held on 13th Oct, 2015 under the Chairmanship of Hon’ble MOS (PP) in New Delhi for your kind perusal.

(Sujasha Choudhury)
Deputy Secretary to the Government of India

---

Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions

(Department of Pension & Pensioners Welfare)

27^th MEETING OF STANDING COMMITTEE OF VOLUNTARY AGENCIES (SCOVA)

S. No	Fresh Agenda Items-27th SCOVA Meeting
(27.1)	Modification to the format of Life Certificate – Issue of acknowledgement to Pensioners submitting Life Certificate  As per Reserve Bank of India notification No. RBI/2014-15/587 dated 7th May, 2015, it is mandatory for the Pension Paying Banks to issue an acknowledgement to Pensioners when they submit Life Certificate every year in November for continuance of pension. After the recent relaxation of the procedure for submission of Life Certificate, Pensioners can submit Life Certificate in any branch of the Bank from which they draw their pension. Pension Paying Banks are required to update their master data with CPPC and the updated master data is required to be sent to CPAO in 1st week of December every year. Several instances of stoppage of payment of pension by CPPCs have been reported citing non receipt of Life Certificate, even though the Pensioners had submitted their Life Certificates to the Bank due to misplacement of the Life Certificates at the Bank branches concerned. Instances of some Pension Paying Banks not accepting Life Certificates given to them by Pensioners and directing Pensioners to submit the Life Certificate to CPPC have also been reported causing great inconvenience to Pensioners, which results in either stoppage of payment of pension or delay in payment of pension. The format of Life Certificate may be suitably modified to include a part in the format to provide for issue of acknowledgement, which can be detached and given to the Pensioner by the receiving Bank. (Action:- Department of Expenditure/CPAO)
(27.2)	Extension of the benefits of DoP&PW OM No. 38/37/08-P&PW(A) dated 28-1-2013 read with OM dated 30-7-2015 to pre-2006 Pensioners with less than 33 years. As per orders issued vide OM dated 01.09.2008, the revised pension of pre-2006 pensioners would not be less that 50% of the minimum of pay in the pay band+grade pay in the revised pay structure. In the Om dated 28.01.2013 it was provided that the minimum pay in the pay band for the purpose would be with reference to the fitment table applicable for pay fixation of the serving employee. The OM dated 28.01.2013 was effective from 24.09.2012. Im implementation of the Orders of Hon’ble CAT/High Court and following dismissal of the SLP/Review Petition filed by the Government, and OM dated 30.07.2015 has been issued for extending the benefit of OM dated 28.01.2013 w.e.f 01.01.2006 instead of 24.09.2012. These  orders, however, provide that the minimum pension was would be reduced proportionately if the qualifying service of pre-2006 pensioners was less than 33 years. The pre-2006 pensioners should be allowed the benefit of minimum pension as per OM dated 28.01.2013/30.07.2015 without any pro-rata reduction based on qualifying service. (Action: DoPPW)
(27.3)	Opening/Extension/Repair of Dispensaries at following stations:-  (A) Dehradun, Uttarakhand (B)  Panchkula, Haryana (C)  Mohali, Punjab (D) Chandigarh (Union Territory) (E)  Ambarnath, Maharashtra) (Action: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare)
(27.4)	Issues relating to CGHS Dispensary at Dehradun, Uttarakhand. (A) Regular appointment of group C and D employees of C.G.H.S Dehradun be made The staff in the dispensary are very short. They are appointed through outsource agency in 2004. Regular appointments of group C and D employees have not been made till today. The outsource recruited employees clerk are not aware with the nature of work of the office all work of the beneficiaries are being delayed. M.R.C Bill form 2-3 years and in some cases 5 years has not been paid. Proper records are not been maintained thereby they are facing great problems an hardship in their old age. Therefore, all group C and D employees be appointed with regular basis without any further delay. (B)  Opening of Arurvedic/Homeopathic and Sidda dispensary at CGHS Dehradun. At Present there are no facility available at CGHS Dehradun for the beneficiaries to take the treatment in Arurvedic, Homeopathic and Sidda system of medicines. One combined dispensary in the above system be opened at Dehradun on similar lines as in Meerut, New Delhi and other cities so that the old age beneficiaries cold obtained the treatment in the above system. (C) Posting/Appointment of Regional Director at CGHS Dehradun in Uttarakhand. For the proper and smooth functioning of the dispensary it is essential that posting/ Appointment of Regional Director be made as in Chandigarh CGHS. In the absence of the Regional Director the beneficiaries are facing great problem in their dally needs in the dispensary as there MRC Bill and other administrative nature of work are pending from 2-3 years.  (Action: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare)
(27.5)	Supreme Court judgment in CA No. 11527 of 2014 (Arising out of SLP No:- 11684 of 2012)  As per the existing instructions issued by DoPT vide OM No. 18/26/2011-Estt   (Pay-1) dated 06.02.2014, the recovery of over payment of pays & allowances and pension is permissible. Hon’ble Supreme Court in its recent judgment dated 18.12.2014 in CA No. 11527 of 2014 has laid down the following situation in which recoveries from employees would be impermissible in law: (i)                 Recovery form employees belonging to Class-III and Class-IV service (or Group ‘C’ and Group ‘D’ service) (ii)               Recovery from retired employees, or employees who are due to retire within one year, of the order of recovery. (iii)             Recovery from employees, when the excess payment has been made for a period in excess of five years, before the order of recovery is issued. (iv)             Recovery in cases where an employee has wrongfully been required to discharge duties of a higher post, and has been paid accordingly, even though he should have rightfully been required to work against an inferior post. (v)               In any other case, where the Court arrives at the conclusion, that recovery if made from the employee, would be iniquitous or harsh or arbitrary to such an extent, as would far outweigh the equitable balance of the employer’s right to recover. Orders may be issued for implementation of the above guidelines prescribed by Hon’ble Supreme Court. (Action:- DoPT/DoPPW)
(27.6)	Implementation of circular No. 38/37/08-P&PW(A) dated 30.07.2015  In order to get the benefits from 24.09.2012 extended under OM dated 28.01.2013, the pensioner had submitted application for Revision of pension to the Pension Sanctioning Authority and a large number of such pensioners are still to get the fruits of revision of pension from 24.09.2012. If the pensioners are yet again required to submit application for re-revision to get the benefit from 01.01.2006 as per circular dt. 30.07.2015, it is bound to cause further hardship to them particularly in view of their advanced age. Moreover, there is an obligation to implement the Court Order within specified time. To obviate the situation, it is requested that : i) The pension sanctioning authorities may be advised to suo-moto rerevise the pension from 01.01.2006 instead of 24.09.2012 or as applicable in a time bound manner without requiring the pensioner to apply for it. ii) In respect of pending application and other cases of omission, the PSA instead of issuing Revision Order from 24.09.2012 should straightway issue sanction order w.e.f. 01.01.2006 in admissible cases within the given time. (Action: DoPPW)
(27.7)	Facility for Online Railway Booking  Physically challenged passengers are entitled to rail fare concession up to 75%. However, this concession cannot be availed of through online booking, despite the fact that physically disabled need online facility much more than the able-bodied. Though the railways have made a beginning now, since the concessions offered by them vary for each type of disability, they need to modify their website accordingly. DP&PW may take up the issue with Ministry of Railways for an early action. In order to prevent misuse of the facility, Railways or MoD, in case of disabled defence pensioners, can issue permanent photo i-cards to entitled persons after satisfying itself of the genuineness of their disability and entitlement and the i-card no. can be quoted while booking and produced for checking during travel. (Action:- Ministry of Railways)