IESM: Stupendous Service rendered by Pension Cell

Date: Thursday, 24 September, 2009, 5:14 PM
Dear Adm Barin,
This is real 'sharp' and smart follow up, indeed. I am most impressed and grateful. Have seen Gp Capt Phatak's outstanding contributions earlier also on the IESM blog. He is ever so positive, prompt and dedicated. My compliments and grateful thanks to him also.
We shall fall back on his support and expertise, as advised/ required. Having invoked your intervention, Barin, I was confident that we will get somewhere.
Thanks again.
Warm regards
Gen Yogi Sharma
Lt Gen YN Sharma, Former Army Commander

Date: Thursday, 24 September, 2009, 6:07 PM
Dear All,
I visited my bank located at Shankarshet Road, Pune on invitation by the Branch Manager to check whether the arrears chart received from HO of Bank of Maharashtra is correct. It was to my surprise (horror) that I found that in cases of 7 defence pensioners at my branch, BOM HO has once again made a mistake by authorising 60% arrears on the basis of GOI letter dated 1 Sep 08 which was issued for civilian pensioners and not for Armed Forces. Earlier BOM had made similar mistake while paying initial instalment of arrears and I had promptly brought this to their notice. This is obviously universal mistake committed in all cases of Armed Forces pensioners getting pension through BOM in a typical EDP environment. I am visiting HO of BOM tomorrow to get this rectified immediately. In the meantime I have asked my bank to credit whatever is authorised as interim payment.
This is to be published widely because many Officers/widows/PBORs will be affected at the hands of BOM.
Gp Capt SS Phatak(retd)
(Keep the up the good work Gp Capt Pathak of IESM Pension Cell. We all are proud of you - Chander Kamboj)

Date: Tuesday, 22 September, 2009, 9:44 PM
Dear Sir,
I visited Central Pension Processing Cell(CPPC) of SBI this morning, located in Tower2, 6th Floor at CBD Belapur Rly station complex, dealing with the cases from Maharashtra and GOA. It is headed by Mrs Tanuja Indi as Chief Manager and assisted by AGM Mr Bhosale and other staff of 25 officers and junior staff. The procedure followed by CPPC is as follows:-

Mail is received by the dak clerk

It is divided in two lots (a)for unactioned PPOs, (b)Corr PPOs.

All letters then are handed over to 6 officers designated for each type depending on work load.

Each junior officer scrutinises each letter and then internal payment proforma is raised calculating fixation of pension and arrears thereon upto 31 Aug 08.

Once authorised by respective six officers, data is fed to computer (core banking) and amount credited.

Post 01 Sep 08 arrears are then calculated automatically which amounts to release of 60% authorised now.

While talking to Mrs Indi she insisted that she acts upon any GOI/PCDA letters if received from her HO and not from other agencies like ours. While talking to few officers I found that they are not aware of the concept of pro- rata pension when quilifying service is less than 33 years. The confusion about TS and S still remains in respect of Lt Cols and equivalent ranks. PPOs issued by DCDA (AF) are defective to that extent.

Following basic documents are a must from pension coming through his pension paying branch(PDA):-

Copy of PPO fixing pension as on 1 Jan 1996

Proof of qualifying service- ie date of commision and date of retirement

proof of age for additional pension,if applicable

Pension account no

Branch code and address.

If everything is in order credit is given instantaneously by feeding relevant data and cross checked for correctness. I had carried about 12 cases and except for one all other cases credit was given immediately. In short, attested documentary evidence for every claim is very essential. I returned this evening fully satisfied and conveyed to each one of them their respective arrears figures.
regards,
Gp Capt SS Phatak (Retd), Pension Cell IESM

Special Family Pension not paid to widows- examples

Smt Subbulakshmi, M/O (Late) Gnr Krishnan is receiving the arrears calculation sheet for Rs.3,84,000 from Sgt S Kandiah (Retd)
Special Family Pension is sanctioned to a widow only when the death of a soldier is aggravated by military service which is determined by the competent authorities. Therefore, a higher rate of pension is sanctioned to the widow. Normally this aspect in the PPO Number is identified by a Prefix ‘F’, or ‘BC’. The PDAs are not aware of this basic rule as a result, the higher rate of pension payable to the widow is denied forever.

Case study One
Sep No 8799083 Maruthiah Thevar died while on active service on 19.10.1971. His wife Smt Muthammal was sanctioned Special Family Pension wef 20.10.1971 under PPO No.F/5280/1974. She was drawing her family pension from Canara Bank, Veera Keralampudur Branch of Tirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu. There have been 4 pay commissions after 1971. The pension has undergone revision in three pay commissions. There is distinct difference in Ordinary family pension and Spl Family pension. The 5th and the 6th CPCs doubled the minimum ordinary family pension for the Special Family pensioners. Now the question is, did the the increase in pension sanctioned by the successive pay commissions reach the family pensioners? Answer is No.

Case study two
Smt Muthammal, a special family pensioner was eligible for a monthly basic pension of Rs 2550 from 1.1.96 to 31.12.2005 but was paid only Rs 1275 during that period. Similarly from 1.1.2006 she was eligible for Rs 7000 as per 6th CPC, but was paid Rs 3500 only. The actual position from 1971 to 1995 is not traceable. In the meantime she died on 15.5.2009. When the Exwel Trust’s Chief Liaison Officer, Sgt S Kandiah (Retd) visited the Bank for arranging the payment of the Life Time Arrears to her legal heirs, he was surprised to see that the widow has been paid just minimum ordinary family pension from 1971 till date. The status of her special family pension was not at all effected in her monthly pension for the 33 years. None of the Bank’s auditors, Accountant General’s Auditors, the Reserve Bank’s pension auditors did notice this short payment to this widow for the past 33 years. what a pity! The poor widow could not enjoy her legitimate pension for the past 33 years. Now arrears amounting to Rs 4 lacs has to be claimed with lot of legal implications.

Case study three
There is similar case with the Canara Bank, Tenkasi of Tirunelveli District. Ex Gnr No 128413 Krishnan died while in service on 06.2.1979. His mother Smt Subbulakshmi was sanctioned a Special family pension under PPO No.F/2237/80 wef 7.2.79. This poor mother of a soldier is also being paid simply ordinary family pension instead of Special family pension from 1979 onwards. Fortunately, in this case, she is alive. Her another son Ex Hav S Sankaran came to know about the Exwel Trust’s services to the pensioner. He visited the Trust’s office with her mother’s pension papers. The short payment of about Rs.3,84,000 has been worked out and presented to the bank for immediate payment to Smt Subbulakshmi.
Posted by Muthukrishnan

Congratulations
Keep up the excellent work. ESM organisations should emulate extending similar services to NOK, spouses and widows of our veteran brothers who are no more.