CENTRAL GOVERNMENT PENSIONERS ASSOCIATIONS, CHANDIGARH. Sukhna Lake Chandigarh

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1 R.N.I. No. CHAENG/2000/2569 CHANDIGARH CE N T R A L G O V E R N ME NT PEN S ION E ' RS A S O N S IO T CIA CENTRAL GOVERNMENT PENSIONERS ASSOCIATIONS, CHANDIGARH Volume-14 Subscription : yearly.. 150/- Issue years.. 600/- Sukhna Lake Chandigarh 1. Govt. of Orders 2. CGHS 3. Miscellaneous 4. Activities INDEX

2 F. No. 42/13/2012-P&PW(G) Government of India Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions Department of Pension & Pensioners' Welfare Date: 3rd,Oct, 2013 OFFICE MEMORANDUM Subject: Grant of Dearness Relief to Central Government pensioners/family pensioners - Revised rate effective from The undersigned is directed to refer to this Department's OM No. 42/13/2012-P&PW(G) dated 2nd May, 2013 on the subject mentioned above and to state that the President is pleased to decide that the Dearness Relief (DR) payable to Central Government pensioners/family pensioners shall be enhanced from the existing rate of 80 % to 90% w.e.f. 1stJuly, These orders apply to (i) All Civilian Central Government Pensioners/Family Pensioners (ii) The Armed Forces Pensioners, Civilian Pensioners paid out of the Defence Service Estimates, (iii) All India Service Pensioners (iv) Railway Pensioners and (v) The Burma Civilian pensioners/family pensioners and pensioners/families of displaced Government pensioners from Pakistan, who are Indian Nationals but receiving pension on behalf of Government of Pakistan and are in receipt of ad-hoc ex-gratia allowance of Rs. 3500/- p.m. in terms of this Department's OM No. 23/1/97- P&PW(B) dated read with this Department's OM No. 23/3/2008-P&PW(B) dated Carried over to 20

3 Text of No. 1/19/ P & PW (E) G.O.I. Ministry of Personnel, P.G. & Pensions Department of Pension & Pensioner's Welfare dt Sub : Review of Forms for Pensionary/ requirement benefits and Nominations under various Rules of the Department of Pension & Pensioners' Welfare The undersigned is directed to state that the Department of Pension & PW is in the process of reviewing Forms for Pensionary/ retirement benefits and Nominations under the following Rules administered by the Department. 1. CCS (Pension) Rules, CSS (Commutation of Pension) Rules, CSS (Extraordinary Pension) Rules, 4. General Provident Fund (Civil Services) Rules, Contributory Provident Fund (India) Rules, Payment of Arrears of Pension (Nomination) Rule, The Forms are available at the Department website persmin.nic.in and pensioner's portal.gov.in. 3. Suggestions are invited from all concerned, including pensioners and pensioners' associations for making these Forms simple, user-friendly and compatible with the amended provisions of the Rules. 4. You may forward your suggestions to Shri Harjit Singh, Deputy Secretary, Department of Pension & Pensioners' Welfare, at his harjit.singh59@nic.in, within 15 days. (D.K. Solanki), Under Secretary to the Govt. of India, Tel. No Text of No /2012-SU Govt. of India, Ministry of Communication & Information Technology Department of Telecommunication dt In exercise of the powers conferred by the Article of Association of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), the President is pleased to approve the proposal of BSNL regarding fitment formula as per Department of Public Enterprises OM No. 2(70)/08-DPE (WC)-GL-VII/09 dated Accordingly, in partial modification of this Department's Order No /2009-SU dated , the benefits of merger of 50% DA effectively amounting to 78.2% as on for purpose of fitment in respect of the Board level & below Board Level executives and Non-Unionized Supervisors and Non-executives of BSNL is hereby allowed from the date of issue of this order. 2. No. arrears will be paid and the revised fitment on the basis of DPE OM dated will be paid with prospective effect only. 3. BSNL has to bear the additional financial implication on account of revised fitment benefit for pay revision from its own resource and no budgetary support will be provided. 4. All instructions/ guidelines issued by DPE from time to time in this regard may be scrupulously followed. 5. This has the concurrences of Internal Finance Division (TPF), Department of Telecommunications vide Dy. No. 05/171/PSF/13 dated Sd/ (Sanjeev Gupta), Diretor (PSUI) Tel ***** F. No. 42/6/2013-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 Date: 12th September, 2013 OFFICE MEMORANDUM Subject: Action Taken Report (ATR) on the minutes of the 22nd meeting of Standing Committee of Voluntary Agencies (SCOVA). Please find enclosed herewith a copy of Action Taken Report (ATR) on the decisions of the 22nd meeting of the Standing Committee of Voluntary Agencies (SCOVA) held on 19th February, 2013 in New Delhi under the Chairmanship of Hon'ble MOS(PP) for kind perusal. Enclosure: As above. 1 (Sujasha Choudhury Deputy Secretary (P)

4 2 SI. No Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances &. Pensions (Department of Pension &. Pensioners' Welfare) ACTION TAKEN REPORT ON THE DECISIONS OF THE 22nd MEETING OF STANDING COMMITTEE OF VOLUNTARY AGENCIES (SCOVA) HELD ON Issue raised in 22nd SCOV Ameeting as per minutes No.1 and 19 of ATR or para 5: Issue of revised PPO for Pre retirees and also to communicate the amount of pension as well as Family Pension t o b e r e v i s e d consequent to the 6th C e n t r a l P a y Commission to Pre pensioners. Decision taken in the 22nd SCOVA meeting a ) C P A O, M i n i s t r y o f R a i l w a y s, Department of Posts were told to complete the work by 31st March, d ) S o m e A s s o c i a t i o n s pointed out the long delay in the revision of PPOs after 6th CPC should be taken up urgently and requested MOS (PP) to intervene at his level to get t h e w o r k c o m p l e t e d without further delay. For this purpose they proposed that additional staff and honorarium m a y considered. b e Follow up Action (i) D/oP&PW & CPAO:- All the Ministries have been requested to issue revised authority for all pensioners, all the pensioners/family pensioners afresh. Secondly, with a view to reconciling the pension payment records, it had been decided to monitor the Pre cases only on the basis of e-scrolls made available by the banks. The CPAO is in the process of reconciling the data with the banks and Ministries/Departments. The progress is being monitored in this Department. To strengthen the monitoring at the level of the Secretary of the administrative Min/Deptt, this item has been made a part of the Monthly d.o to the Cabinet Secretary. Several meetings were arranged by the CPAO at the level of Controller General of Accounts, Addl. CGA (CCCP), CPAO with the CCAs/CAs of Ministries/Departments to discuss the problems and to plan strategies to complete the targets within stipulated time. Letters were also written at the level of CGA to AGs and Administrators of Union Territories. Pension of all the live pensioners of pre and pre-1990 have already been revised as reported by banks. As on , 71,334 cases (34,733 pre and 36,601 pre-2006), of Civil Ministries/Deptts, are pending for revision. Approxlrnatelv, 82% work of Civil Ministries/ Departments has been completed. Ministries /Deptts Civil Ministries/ Deptts Pre-1990 Pre-2006 Total 34,733 36,601 71,334 The major reason for non-revision of remaining cases by Ministries/Departments are reorganisation of various Departments/PAOs and non-availability of records of the pensioners in

5 3 CPAO, Ministries/Departments and Banks. The efforts were also made through advertisements to approach to the pensioners but poor response from pensioners/family pensioners has also become the reason of this slow progress as their pension has already been revised by the banks. (ii) Ministry of Railways:- Current Status Period Pre 2006 Total no. of pension cases No. Of PPOs issued by the Alcs Department 10,93,772 5,87,035 Action Plan: Due to non-availability of complete information required for revisions (viz. updated address, date of birth of beneficiaries spouse, new a/c no. etc) with the Pension Sanctioning Authority, Railways could not revise the PPOssuomoto. Accordingly, the Railways published advertisements in news papers/tv etc. to call for requisite details through application form. Assistance of RBI was also availed to issue instructions to the Banks to place notices in Banks premises requesting Railway pensioners to fill up application forms and send the same to Railways. Revised PPOs have been issued in respect of application forms received from the pensioners. However, all these efforts did not help in getting applications from all the pensioners/family pensioners. Therefore, PPOs could not be revised in remaining cases. The position was reviewed in May/2013, and it was decided that to issue the PPOs suomoto by collecting the requisite gap information/details from Banks. Railways had been given a target of for completion of this work. (Hi) Department of Posts :- Out of the 2,12,995 identified cases of pre pensioners/family pensioners, 1,55,957 PPOs have been revised and issued upto , thus 73.22% works stands completed. All the Heads of the Circles/ Postal Accounts Officers have been requested to complete the balance work at the earliest. The work regarding revision of Pension and PPOsof Post-2006 Pensioners has been completed almost cent percent. (b) Department of Telecommunications

6 4 b) Department of Telecommunication informed that they had not received the latest update on revision of PPOs from BSNL and therefore the data The Hon'ble MOS (PP) desired that the representative who attended the meeting should be able to give the r e q u i s i t e information. The representative of the Department of Telecom agreed to comply with the same. C ) M i n i s t r y o f Defence informed that 6 Lakh PPOs have been revised. Efforts were on to a d h e r e t o t h e d e a d l i n e o f However, slippages could not be view of the fresh revision of pension mandated by the Cabinet d e c i s i o n o f Some of the Associations desired that outside agencies should be involved. They also desired that the Pension Regulation should be revised in tune with changes recommended by 6 t h C P C a n d a c c e p t e d b y Government. The Total PPOs Pensioners revised Percentage Pending for revision Percentage 2,12,995 1,55,957 57, % Status of pension, revision of pre-2006 as on is :- Total No of Pre-2006 Pensioners PPOs revised PPOs yet to be revised 94,635 40,637 53,998 (C) M/o Defence (D/o Ex-Servicemen Welfare) : - Corrgendum PPOs could not be issued by the concerned Pension Sanctioning Authorities (PSAs) for want of computerized data. There was some mismatch in data available with the PSAs and with the current pensions PDAs Accordingly, a Task Force was created during one of the meetings held on comprising reps of SBI, PNB (large pension disbursing banks) and CGDA to sort out the matter. It has been reported that the records in respect of post-2006 pensions have since been computerised and database exists for 4.5 lac pensioners (approx.) Digital records of 5.88 lac pensioners have also been created in respect of pre-2006 pensioners under Project SANGAM so far. It has been proposed to create print file of approx. 1 lac cases every month for the next 4-5 months commencing August, It has been assured that digitisation of pensioners both pre-2006 and post 2006 pensioners would be finalised for approx 15.5 lac pensioners by December, No specific grievances have been pointed out. However, it is submitted that CGDA has prepared pension guide for the benefit of pensioners as well as the Pension Disbursing Agencies/Head of Offices/ Record Offices apart

7 5 revision of PPOs Pre-1990 should also be completed b y S e c r e t a r y ( P e n s i o n 0 a l s o pointed out that there were number of grievances of PCDA Allahabad in this regard and asked organization o f C G D A t o specifically look into this (Action : CPAO, All Ministries, D/o P&PW) from Devloping a computerized pension enquiry project (SUVIGYA). It is online pension enquiry system which enables the ex-service men to know their entitlements of pension at the click of a button after giving certain basic inputs, There is a Public Grievance officers (PGO) in the O/o PCDA (P), Allahabad for redressal of pensioners grievances. A cell also exists there to attend to the grievances relating to pension. Another mechanism developed in the office of PCDA (P_), Allahabad is to lodge the pension related complaints online through the official website of through . Defence (Civilians) : Comment still awaited. 2 ii) J 51. No.6, 7 and B of ATR of Para 5: (a) Revision of ex-gratia amount to CPF/SRPF Retirees. (b) Uniform rates of DR& (d) Ex-gratia to those who voluntarily retired after 20 years of service in respect of pre-1986 CPF/SRPF retirees. (e) Ex-gratia should not be less than minimum the same effective 01/01/06. pension and s h o u l d b e f r o m 01/01/06. As regards (a), (b) and (e) the status was explained in the meeting. As regards (d) it was informed that the opinion of Railway Board is under examination in consultation with 0/0 Expenditure. Medical invalidation cases were asked to be looked into again in view of court judgement. ( A c t i o n : M / o R a i l w a y s D/OP&.PW) 0/0 P&PW &. Ministry of Railways: (a) & (d):- Necessary instructions have been issued by D/oP&PW& M/o Railways. (e):- Further increase in ex-gratia has not been acceded to while making a decision in (a) & (d) No. 13 and 16 of ATR of Para 5: (13) - The Orders of Ministry of Health reiterating that all the pensioners are at liberty to opt themselves with any of the nearest CGHS hospital/ dispensary m a y b e w i d e l y circulated. Arbitrary o r d e r s d a t e d 0 1 / 0 8 / a n d 01/09/1996 issued by Ministry of Health and Director of CGHS may be withdrawn and the Ministry of Health informed that the matter regarding withdrawal of OMs dated and (which provide that the P & T pensioners not Participating in CGHS while in service may not be e x t e n d e d t h i s facility) is subjudice. Regarding merger of 19 P & T dispensaries in 12 cities with CGHS, M/o Health and Family Welfare : - (13) The mater is sub-judice. D/o Telecommunications : - DOT is not providing and medical facility to Pensioners, Ministry of Health and FW issues CGHS Card directly to the pensioners on payment of requisite fees. CS (MA) Rules, medical facilities under CGHS is a subject matter of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. As per M/oH&FW OM No. S-11011/46/95-CGSD- II/CGHS (P) dated P & T Pensioners who were not participating in CGHS while in service are not eligible for CGHS facility after retirement.

8 6 b e n e f i t o f C G H S facilities be allowed to t h e p e n s i o n e r s o f Department of Post and Department of Telecom as specially provided in t h e o r d e r o f t h e D e p a r t m e n t o f Personnel and Pension (16) (i) The existing P e n s i o n e r s o f Department of Posts and Telecom covered by P & T Dispensaries are neither considered for t r e a t m e n t o f hospitalization facilities nor for Fixed Medical Allowance & (ii) Pensioners falling within the limit of P & T Dispensaries / CGHS H o s p i t a l s m a y b e allowed to opt for P & T Dispensaries or drawal of FMA. representatives of Ministry of Health and Ministry of Health and Ministry of Fiance informed that the matter is at advanced stage of consideration and a decision is expected shortly. Department of Posts need to pursue it vigorously. The Ministry of Health informed that the proposal for opening of new Dispensaries at Mohali / Panchkula / Chandigarh could not be agreed to due to severe resource crunch with CGHS. Ministry of Health was requested to agree to at least opening of a new d i s p e n s a r y a t Panchkula as the C h a n d i g a r h dispensary is over b u r d e n e d w i t h 2 3, beneficiaries. MOS (PP) mentioned that he would take up the matter with Minister of Health and Family Welfare. O n t h e q u e s t i o n o f computerization of CGHS dispensary at Jammu, Ministry of Health informed that the same would be done. (Action : M/o Health & FW, Department o f P o s t s, D e p a r t m e n t o f Telecom, D/o P & PW) D/o Posts & M/o Health & FW : - Regarding merger of P & T dispensaries in 12 cities w.ef. 01st August, 2013 vide M/oH&FW's notification dated circulated by Department of Posts vide circular No. 2-3/2009- Medical dated Accordingly, P & T Pensioners residing in these cities may join CGHS to avail its facilities i n c l u d i n g i n p a t i e n t m e d i c a l treatment/hospitalisation etc. The issue stands settled. Issue regarding opening of new dispensary at Panch kula :- 0/0 P&PW :- Issue was taken up by the Hon'ble Minister of State (PP) level with the Minister of Health & FW vide D.O. letter dated M0 Health and Family Welfare:- Due to the financial and logistic constraints it is not possible to open a new dispensary at Panchkula. The Ministry has mooted a proposal for opening at least one dispensary each in the capital city of States which do not have the presence of CGHSas yet. The matter is under process regarding comupterisaton of CGHS dispensary at Jammu.

9 o f P a r a 6 D i s s e m i n a t i o n information in time: of Para 6 Nomination facility of Family Pensioners drawing Life Time Arrears : MOS(PP) reiterated that the DR orders this department s h o u l d b e i m m e d i a t e l y implemented by all t h e M i n i s t r i e s. D e p a r t m e n t o f Pension stated that m o s t o f t h e M i n i s t r i e s / d e p a r t m e n t s w e r e adhering to the DR orders issued by this Department and, therefore, the item may be treated as closed. One of the Associations, however, informed that in case of Karimnagar (AP) Post Office, the same is not being f o l l o w e d. D e p a r t m e n t o f Posts was asked to find out the same. ( A c t i o n : D e p a r t m e n t o f Posts) The Department of Legal Affairs has e x a m i n e d t h e p r o v i s i o n s contained in this department OM dated adn stated that the stand taken vide that OM appears to be in accordance with the intention of the makers of the extant rules and are legally in order. H e n c e t h e nomination facility f o r f a m i l y pensioners drawing life time arrears has not been agreed to. Department of Posts:- 0/0 Posts vide dt has issued instructions for payment of DR to pensioners on the basis of OM issued by Department of Pensions and Pensioners Welfare, and without waiting for the separate circular, the same instructions were again reiterated vide dt D/o P & PW : - The matter has been again examined in consultation with the D/o Legal Affairs. It has been decided that since family pension is granted only for the sustenance of the family of the deceased Govt. servant/pensioner it is not legally correct to consider the same as property of the family pensioner and therefore to facilitate nomination for the same. At the same time, instructions have been issued to allow payment of lifetime arrears up to Rs. 2,50,000 without succession certificate when no member in the family is eligible for family pension. In view of the foregoing, it is proposed that the item may be dropped.

10 of Para 6 c) Central Govt. Health Scheme : Issues at wellness : Center Bangalore d ) C G H S Dispensary/Wellness Centre at Jammu e) Opening of three m o r e C G H S Dispensaries, one at Mohali, second at Panchkula and "one more at Chandigarh Ministry of Health & FW intimated that there is severe resource crunch and hence several places including areas in Delhi were n o t, c o v e r e d. H o w e v e r, t h e Hon'ble MOS(PP) assured that he will take up with Minister of Health the issue of opening of CGHS d i s p e n s a r y a t P a n c h k u l a Representative of Ministry of Health also intimated that computerisation of these dispensary will be done in a phased manner. : (Action : Ministry of Health & FW, D/oP & PW) D/o P& PW : Issue regarding opening of new dispensary at Panchula was again taken up by the Hon'ble Minister of State (PP) level with Minister of Health & FW vide D.O. letter dated M/o Health & Family Welfare:- Due to the financial and logistic constraints it is not possible to open more dispensaries Nomination for r e i m b u r s e m e n t i n CGHS : The Ministry of Health informed that nomination for reimbursement in CGHS would not be advisable as it would create legal complications. Ministry of Health was asked to reexamine the issue in consultation with Ministry of Law. (Action : M/o Health & FW) D/o P & PW : Ministry of Health & FW informed that it would be administratively difficult to monitor nomination on a regular basis as the facility for change of nomination at any time would also have to be provided. However, in our letter dated , Ministry of Health was informed that seeting affidavits/noc etc. on stamp paper from the legal heirs/family members may cause avoidable inconvenience to them. The feasibility of reimbursing the hospitalization expenses in respect of the deceased employee/pensioner to the nominee for the purpose of GPF, gratuity, EGEGIS, etc. could, therefore, be examined. Ministry of Health & FW is again requested to reconsider the matter and to inform the decision taken in this regard. M/O Health & Family Welfare : In the light of the observations of D/o P & PW, the issue is being re-examined.

11 Extension of hours of CGHS Dispensaries : CGHS sites on the net 10. Sl. No. 26 of ATR of Para 5: Anomaly in fixation of p e n s i o n t o D o T employees absorbed in BSNL, who retired between and The working hours of CGHS has been e x t e n d e d i n Delhi/NCR in order to ensure optimum u t i l i z a t i o n o f scarce manpower r e s o u r c e s o f CGHS and also to i m p r o v e t h e f u n c t i o n i n g o f CGHS. ( A c t i o n : M / o Health & FW) Ministry of Health informed that the website of CGHS is being updated from time to time. It was pointed out that the l i n e o f C G H S website available o n p e n s i o n e r s portal is an older version. DOP & PW was asked to give l i n k w i t h t h e updated version of CGHS site. (Action : NIC) D e p a r t m e n t o f Telecommunication informed that the order were issued on to the e ff e c t t h a t t h e absorbees in BSNL are also entitled for minimum of pension at not less than 50% of the minimum of the pay in the scale of pay held by them a t t h e t i m e o f r e t i r e m e n t. However, the DOT is still getting r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s from BSNL retirees on this subject. The matter is under examination with M / O Health & Family Welfare : T h e w o r k i n g h o u r s o f C G H S dispensaries have since been revised to 8.00 am to 3.00 pm with a 30 minutes lunch break from 1.00 to It has been made applicable across the country at all CGHS locations. NIC :- Link of current website of CGHS is available. D/o P & PW : The decision in the matter is to be taken was earlier considered and agreed by Department of Pension and Pensioners' Welfare. But, Department of Expenditure did not agree to the same, However, a fresh proposal for calculation of pension to such absorbees on notional basis is under examination in the Department.

12 Marger of 78.2% IDA with basic pension benefit to be absorbed BSNL Pensioners : DoT. It was decided that DoT will take final decision in the m a t t e r b y 3 1 s t March, (Action Department of Telecom) DoT informed that the decision to merge 68.8% IDA with pension was in l i n e w i t h t h e decision taken for revision of pay in respect of serving e m p l o y e e s o f B S N L. T h e y informed that if at a n y s t a g e t h e benefit of merger of 78.2% IDA with pay o f s e r v i n g empoyees is given, this benefit would also be extended to a b s o r b e e p e n s i o n e r s o f BSNL. D O T informed that the matter is under examination in that Department. ( A c t i o n : D / o Telecom, D/o P & PW) D/o P & PW : - D O T h a s b e e n r e q u e s t e d o n & seeking information regarding the decision taken by them in the matter. D/o Telecommunications : - DOT has issued the benefit of merger of 78.2% IDA with pay of serving employees w.e.f For mooting the proposal in respect of pensioners, some inputs were required from BSNL. The inputs had been received from BSNL. The proposal for revision of pension/family pension of pre-2007 and post-2007 BSNL IDA Pensioners/family pensioners by allowing the benefit of merger of 50% of DA/DR effectively amounting to 78.2% as on w.e.f based on the pay revision of BSNL serving employees w.e.f is under consideration.

13 11 Brought for word from Previous issue 21. What to do if a pensioner/family pensioner desires to get his pension payment account transferred? 21.1 Application for transfer of pensions may fall under the following three categories; (i) transfer from one paying branch to another of the same Authorised Bank (AB) within the same station or at a different station; (ii) transfer from one AB to another within the same station (such transfers to be allowed only once in a financial year); and (iii) transfer from one AB to another AB at a different station Request falling under category (i) above may be entertained by the AB itself. In case the transfer is at the same station, Link Branch will make necessary entries in the register maintained by them in the prescribed form in Annexure-VIII(page-33 of Scheme Booklet) and forward the disburser's portion of PPO to the paying branch at which payment is desired under intimation to the Central Pay & Accounts Officer and the pensioner. In case the transfer is at different station, Link Branch after keeping the requisite note, will forward disburser's portion of the PPO to the Link Branch at new station for arranging payment through the new paying branch. Necessary intimation of effecting such transfer will be sent to CPAO by the new as well as old Link Branches in the form as at Annexure XXI(page-49 Scheme Booklet) for keeping a note of change in their records under intimation to the pensioner. The receiving Link Branch on receipt of the pension documents will ensure forwarding the PPO to the paying branch within three days and intimate the facts to the pensioner simultaneously. Before forwarding the disburser's portion of PPO to the new paying branch/link Branch, it will be ensured that the month upto which the payment has been made is invariably indicated in the disburser's portion of PPO (a) In cases request falling under category (ii) & (iii), when a pensioner applies for transfer on a simple sheet of paper, the old bank (transferor paying branch) will send a letter duly signed by its Branch Manager to the Branch Manager of the new paying branch, wherever located, alongwith photocopy of the pensioner's PPO showing the last payment made. This will be sent by Speed Post/Courier/Regd. post to the new paying branch at the new location, alongwith a copy each to the pensioner, CPAO and for information to the Link Branch of the old paying branch. Simultaneously, the old paying branch will send the bank's copy of the PPO to its Link Branch, duly completing all entries for transmission to the new Link Branch. However, pensioner's copy of PPO will be retained by pensioner and produced at the new paying branch. (b) The new paying branch will commence the pension payment immediately on receipt of letter of the last payment certificate as above. Simultaneously, it will send an intimation to its Link Branch with full details of the commencement of the pension. The old paying branch and its Link Branch will ensure that the bank's copy of PPO is transmitted to the new paying branch through its Link Branch. (c) Pension will be paid for three months on the basis of the photocopy of the pensioner's PPO at transferee (New) branch, from the date of last date of payment made at the transferor (Old) branch. During this time, it will be the joint responsibility of both transferor (old) and transferee (New) bank branches to ensure that all the documents under the procedure, are received by the transferee (New) branch within the period of three months To avoid the risk of overpayment at the time of transfer, the following certificate is required to be recorded on the Disburser's portion of PPO by the paying branch of the AB: Certified that payment of pension has been made up to the month and that this PPO consists of continuation sheets for recording disbursement." 21.5 Except as provided above, the transfer of a pension account from one payment point to another will not ordinarily be permitted. 22. What is the procedure for switchover of pension payment from Pay & Accounts Office or treasury to Public Sector Bank? 22.1 The applications for switch-over to Authorised banks by the existing pensioners will be made in the form as given in Annexure IX (page 34 of Scheme Booklet) in duplicate to the Pension Disbursing Authority.

14 22.2 The pensioners should first draw pension which has already fallen due, before applying for transfer of their pension papers to the Authorised Banks Transfer applications in duplicate shall be forwarded immediately by the Pension Disbursing Authority alongwith the disburser's copy of the PPO halves, duly authenticated and written upto-date to the CPAO for transmission to the Link Branchs of the AB for arranging payment after keeping necessary note in their records. Action will also be taken by Pension Disbursing Authority to update the entries of payment made in the pensioner's portion of the PPOs, if not already done, before the transfer application is sent to the CPAO If a PPO (disburse's portion) has got torn or mutilated, it will be renewed by the CPAO with the help of PAO, if necessary, before sending it to the Link Branch. 23. Who is to authorize payment of family pension and death gratuity when a Govt. servant dies while on deputation? In the case of a Govt. servant who dies while on deputation to another Central Govt. Deptt.,action to authorize family pension and death gratuity in accordance with the provisions of chapter IX of the pension Rules shall be taken by his Head of Office of the borrowing department. In the case of a Govt. servant who dies while on deputation to a State Govt. or while on Foreign Service action to authorize the payments of family pension and death gratuity in accordance with the provisions of Chapter IX of the pension Rules shall be taken by the Head of Office or the cadre authority which sanctioned the deputation of the Govt. servant to the State Govt. or to his Foreign Service. 24. When should a family member become eligible for the grant of family pension to get the family pension? Normally, family pension is sanctioned and authorized at the same time as pension and indicated in the Pension Payment Order and is to be drawn after the death of the pensioner. In case of Govt. servant dying while in service, the widow or widower has to make a claim in Form 14 to the Head of Office who will sanction and authorize the family pension through its Pay & Accounts Officer. Where the deceased Govt. servant is survived only by a child or children, the guardian (in case of minor child/children) or such child or children may submit a claim in Form 14 to the Head of Office for sanction and authorisation of family pension with its PAO. For getting family pension, the deceased pensioner's family should apply in Form No. 14 along with a copy of the death certificate of the deceased pensioner (i) to the Pension Disbursing Authority if, the amount of family pension is already indicated in the Pension Payment Order (ii) to the Head of Office for sanction of family pension in all other cases. 25. Up to which period family pension is payable? Family pension is payable to one member of the family at a time in the order and for the period as under: a) In the case of a widow or widower, up to the date of death or remarriage, whichever is earlier. Family Pension shall be continue to be payable to a childless widow after her re-marriage if her income from all other sources is less than the amount of minimum family pension and the dearness relief thereon. b) When widow or widower becomes ineligible, children below 25 years of age in the order of their age, up to 25 years of age or till they get married or till they start earning more than the amount of minimum family pension along with dearness allowance thereon. c) After (a)& (b) above; for the lifetime to any unmarried son/daughter who is suffering from any disorder or disability of mind (including mentally retarded)or physically crippled or disabled and who is unable to earn a living. d) Parents who were wholly dependent on the Govt. servant when he/she was alive provided the deceased employee had left neither a widow nor a child. e) disabled siblings (i.e. brother and sister) who were dependent on the Government servant immediately before the death of the Government Servant, for life. 26. Is family pension payable to more than one person at a time? Normally, the family pension is payable to one eligible member at a time. However, in certain specific cases, the family pension is divided among eligible members of the family. The family pension will be paid in equal shares where the deceased Govt. servant or pensioner is survived by a) More than one widow (except in the case of Hindu widow). On the death of one widow, her share of the family pension shall become payable to eligible child. If she is not survived by any 12

15 13 child, her share of the family pension shall not lapse but shall be payable to the other widow or widows; and to other child or children otherwise eligible in equal shares, or if there is only one widow or child, in full to such widow or child; the eligible child will be paid the share, which the mother would have equal shares. b) A widow and an eligible child through another received had she been alive. c) A widow and an eligible child from a divorced wife; the child will be entitled to the share of family pension which the mother would have received had she not been divorced. 27. How is the family pension payable to twin children? Normally, the family pension is payable to one eligible member at a time. However, in certain specific cases, the family pension is divided among eligible members of the family. The family pension will be paid in equal shares where the deceased Govt. servant or pensioner is survived by a) More than one widow (except in the case of Hindu widow). On the death of one widow, her share of the family pension shall become payable to eligible child. If she is not survived by any child, her share of the family pension shall not lapse but shall be payable to the other widow or widows; and to other child or children otherwise eligible in equal shares, or if there is only one widow or child, in full to such widow or child; the eligible child will be paid the share, which the mother would have equal shares. b) A widow and an eligible child through another received had she been alive. c) A widow and an eligible child from a divorced wife; the child will be entitled to the share of family pension which the mother would have received had she not been divorced. 28. Is family pension payable to a spouse judicially separated? family pension is payable to a spouse judicially separated but not to a spouse judicially separated on the ground of adultery. Top As in reply to Q. No What has the pensioner to do for restoration of commuted portion of pension? From what date is it restored? Commuted portion of pension is to be restored after 15 years from the date of commutation. This restoration was introduced w.e.f i.e. those who completed 15 years on or after , their pension was to be restored. This period of 15 years is to be counted from date of discharge provided commutation was sanctioned simultaneously with service pension in the same PPO. However, where commutation was sanctioned subsequent to the date of discharge the restoration of commuted portion of pension will be done on completion of 15 years from the date from which the amount of capitalized value is paid or credited to the pensioner's account. Every pensioner has to apply to his PDA (Pension Disbursing authority) through an application after completion of 15 years for restoration of commuted portion of pension. 30. To whom is rounding off benefit of percentage of disability pension under CCS(EOP) Rules admissible? The extent of disability or functional incapacity is determined in the following manner for purposes of computing the disability element forming part of benefits:- Percentage of disability Percentage to be reckoned assessed by Medical Board. for computation of disability pension upto 50% 50% More than 50 and upto 75% 75% More than 75 and upto 100% 100% Provided that the above broad banding shall not be applicable to Government servants who are retained in service. 31. Whether family pension may be sanctioned to a handicapped child during lifetime of a pensioner who has no wife or any other children. No. Family Pension in this case may be sanctioned only when the contingency arises. However, a note of such child will be kept in record of RO/HOO and P.S.A. 32. Whether restoration of commuted portion of pension is admissible to those who were absorbed permanently in autonomous bodies/psus and have drawn lump-sum

16 capitalised value in lieu of pension? rd Yes. Only 1/3 portion of pension which was normally allowed to be commuted may be restored after 15 years from the date of commutation and dearness relief is also payable on this in terms of O.M. dated and O.M. dated Is the family pension admissible to parents; widowed/divorced/unmarried daughters? As in reply to Q What is the period of payment of enhanced family pension? From , where a person not governed by the Workmen's Compensation Act dies while in service after rendering not less than seven years continuous service, the rate of family pension shall be equal to 50% of last pay drawn from the date of death of deceased Government Servant for a period of ten years provided that the deceased employee had completed seven years of continuous service. In the event of death of Government Servant after retirement the enhanced family pension shall be payable for a period of seven years or for a period upto the date the deceased would have attained the age of 67 years, whichever is earlier. In no case the amount of family pension exceed the pension authorised on retirement from Government service provided that the deceased employee had completed seven years of continuous service. 35. What is the formula for pension revision for pre-2006 pensioner/family pensioner? In terms of para 4.1 of OM No.38/37/08-P&PW(A) dated , the pension/family pension will be consolidated w.e.f by adding together (i) The existing pension/family pension,(ii) Dearness Pension, where applicable, (iii)dearness of basic Pension/Basic Family Pension plus dearness pension as admissible vide OM No.42/2/2006- P&PW(G) dated and (iv) Fitment of the existing pension/family pension. Where the existing pension at (i) includes the effect of merger of 50% of DR w.e.f , the existing pension for the purpose of fitment weightage will be re-calculated after excluding the merged DR of 50% from the pension. The amount so arrived at will be regarded as consolidated pension/family pension w.e.f The fixation of pension will be subject to the provision that the revised pension, in no case shall be lower than 50% of the minimum of the pay in the pay band plus the grade pay correspoding to the pre-revised pay scale from where the Govt. servant retired 36. What is the amount of minimum and maximum pension after Sixth CPC The pension shall not be less than Rs.3500/- and shall not be more than 50% of the highest pay in Government How much of the pension can be commuted? A pensioner can opt to commute up to 40% of the pension admissible at the time of retirement. 38. Is there any ceiling on gratuities and if so what is the maximum amount admissible? Yes. Ceiling on all gratuities has been raised to Rs.ten lakhs (earlier the limit was Rs.3.5 lakhs). DA is also to be added with pay for calculation of gratuity. 39. What is the extent of neutralization of relief granted to pensioners? 100% neutralization of relief is granted to all pensioners at the same rate like serving employees. 40. Is Personal Pension discontinued with effect from ? Yes. 41. What is the medical allowance for pensioners? Rs.300/- is granted to each of the pensioners not covered by CGHS. Pensioners living in cosmopolitan cities not covered by CGHS dispensary are also eligible on production of a certificate to that effect. 42. When can pension be withheld or withdrawn? Under Rule 8 of CCS(Pension) Rule, Future good conduct is an implied condition of every grant of pension and its continuance under the CCS (Pension) Rules, The pension or a part thereof can be withheld or withdrawn in such cases where a pensioner is convicted of a serious crime or found guilty of a serious or a grave act of misconduct/negligence after retirement, or during the period of service, including the service rendered upon re-employment after retirement. Under Rule 9, the President reserves the right of withdrawing pension/gratuity in full or in part or for ordering recovery from pension or gratuity or any pecuniary loss caused to the Govt., if, in any departmental/judicial proceedings, the pensioner is found guilty of grave misconduct/negligence during the period service, including service rendered upon re- 14

17 employment after retirement. 43. What is restoration of pension and when is it due? Restoration of the fraction of the pension commuted by the pensioners becomes due for restoration after completion of 15 years period from the date of payment of lumpsum value of commutation. 44. What is enhanced family pension and how long is it paid? Yes. Ceiling on all gratuities has been raised to Rs.ten lakhs (earlier the limit was Rs.3.5 lakhs). DA is also to be added with pay for calculation of gratuity. 45. Are the employed family pensioners and the re-employed pensioners entitled to Dearness Relief (DR) on their family pension/pension? Yes, w.e.f. 18/07/97 onwards. 46. What is reduced pension? Reduced pension is the part of pension which is payable after deducting commuted portion of the pension. 47. When can a Government servant apply for voluntary retirement? Under Rule 48, a Government servant can apply for voluntary retirement after completion of 30 years of qualifying service. Under Rule 48-A, he can apply for VR after complition of qualifying service of 20 years. Under FR 56 (k) he can apply for VR on attaining the age of 50 years (for Gr. A & B) and 55 years (in other cases). 48. When will the gratuity withheld at the time of retirement be released? The withheld amount of gratuity under sub-rule (5) of CCS(Pension) Rules, 1972, the retiring Government employees, shall be paid immediately on production of "No Demand Certificate" from the Directorate of Estates after actual vacation of the Government accommodation. The Directorate of Estates shall ensure that "No Demand Certificate" shall be given to the Government employee within a period of fourteen days from the actual date of vacation of the Government accommodation and the allottee shall be entitled to payment of interest (at the rate applicable to General Provident Fund deposit determined from time to time by the Government of India) on the excess withheld amount of gratuity which is required to be refunded., after adjusting the arrears of licence fee and damages, if any, payable by the allottee and the interest shall be payable by the Directorate of Estates through the concerned Accounts Officer of the Government employee from the actual date of vacation of the Government accommodation up to the date of refund of excess withheld amount of gratuity. 49. What is the meaning of the following terms? (a) Pension Disbursing Authority (b) Pension Sanctioning Authority (c) PPO Issuing Authority 15 (a) Pension Disbursing Authority : (b) Pension Sanctioning Authority: (c) PPO Issuing Authority: Bank Branch/Treasury/Post Office paying your pension The authority who sanctioned your pension before forwarding the case to Accounts. If you retired from HQ, the PPO issuing authority is head of accounts branch of that unit. 50. Whether older pensioners will get higher rate of pension? Yes, from , the quantum of pension/family pension available to old pensioners/family pensioners has been increased as follows:- O.M.No. 38/37/08- P&PW(A) dated Age of pensioner/family pensioner Additional quantum of pension From 80 years to less than 85 years 20% of revised basic pension/family pension From 85 years to less than 90 years 30% of revised basic pension/family pension From 90 years to less than 95 years 40% of revised basic pension/family pension From 95 years to less than 100 years 50% of revised basic pension/family pension

18 years or more 100% of revised basic pension/family pension 51. What is the method of computing pension? Pension is now 50% of the last 10 months' average emoluments or last pay drawn (emoluments), whichever is more beneficial to the retiring employee. 52. Is family pension available after remarriage? Family pension has now been made available even after remarriage to childless widow of the deceased employee subject to her earnings not exceeding the prescribed minimum family pension with DR. 53. Whether in the case of pensioners who are in receipt of more than one pension, the floor ceiling of Rs.3500 will apply to the total of all pensions taken together? It was clarified in Deptt. of Pension & PW's OM No.38/38/02-P&PW(A) dated that in respect of civil and military pension, the floor ceiling taking the two pensions together will not apply and the individual pensions will be governed by respective pension rules. These instructions would continue to apply in the context of revised floor ceiling of Rs.3500/-p.m. Accordingly, the floor ceiling will apply individually in the civil and military pension. In case, a person is in receipt of pension as well as family pension, the floor ceiling of Rs.3500 will apply individually to such pension and family pension. 54. Whether the element of disability pension and invalid pension will be combined or treated as separate identity? The element of disability pension and invalid pension may be treated as distinct pension. The invalid pension may continue to be regulated as per CCS(Pension) Rules subject to certain minimum amount and the extraordinary disability pension may continue to be treated as a separate element and this should be fixed as per the degree of disability. This will be subject to the further condition that the amount of disability pension and invalid pension should in no case exceed the last pay drawn. These instructions would continue to apply in the context of revised minimum pension of Rs.3500/-. (*certain minimum amount refers to the amount calculated as per provisions of Rule 49(2)(c) of CCS(Pension) Rules. 55. Whether the provision of adding years in qualifying service for computation of pension is still in force? The extent of benefit of adding years of qualifying service for computation of pension/related benefits has been withdrawn w.e.f Whether the provision of adding years in qualifying service has been withdrawn for calculating gratuity also? Yes, w.e.f What is the revised quantum of ex-gratia lumpsum compensation to Civilian employees who die in performance of their bonafide official duties? In modification of Deptt. Of Pension & PW's OM No.45/55/97-P&PW(C) dated the exgratia lumpsum compensation to Civilian employees who die in performance of their bonafide official duties has been revised as under : a) Death occurring due to accidents in course of Performance of duties Rs lakhs b) Death occuring due to accident in course of performance of duties attributable to act of violence by terrorists, anti-social elements etc. Rs lakhs c) Death occuring a) enemy action in international war or border skirmishes and Rs lakhs b) action against militants, terrorists, extremists etc. d) Death Occuring while on duty in specified high altitude, inaccessible border posts etc. on Rs lakhs account of natural disasters, extreme weather conditions 58. Whether the additional pension/family pension available to old pensioners would be payable from the date of attaining age of 80 years or above or from the first day of the month in which the date of birth falls? The additional quantum of pension/family pension, on attaining the age of 80 years and above,

19 st would be admissible from the 1 day of month in which his date of birth falls. For example, if a pensioner/family pensioner completes age of 80 years in the month of August, 2008, he will be entitled to additional pension/family pension w.e.f Those pensioners/family st pensioners whose date of birth is 1 August, will also be entitled to additional pension/family pension w.e.f on attaining the age of 80 years and above. 59. Whether the period of 10 years for payment of enhanced family pension would also apply in the case of a Government servant who died before and in respect of whom the family was receiving enhanced family pension as on ?. Yes. The period of 10 years for payment of enhanced family pension will count from the date of death of the Government servant. These orders will, however, not apply in a case where the period of Ten years for payment of enhanced family pension has already completed as on From which date the Constant Attendant Allowance is payable? Constant Attendant Allowance is payable from Whether the pensioners who retired on disability pension before would also be entitled to Constant Attendant Allowance?. Yes, the pensioners who retired on disability pension before and fulfilling the conditions mentioned in para 10.1 of O.M. No. 38/37/08- P&PW(A) dated would also be entitled to Constant Attendant Allowance. 62. Whether Dearness Relief will be admissible on Constant Attendant Allowance? No. 63. What would be the age to be used for commutation of additional commutable pension and which factor would be used for such additional commuted value of pension? The age reckoned for calculation of commuted value of pension at the time of original application for commutation of pension will apply for calculation of commutation value of additional commutable pension. However, as mentioned in the OM dated , the commutation factor in the revised Table of Commutation Value for Pension will be used for the commutation of the additional amount of pension that has become commutable on account of retrospective revision of pay/pension. 64. From which date the reduction in pension on account of additional commutation of pension will take effect? Reduction in pension on account of additional commutation of pension will be in two stages as per the provisions contained in Rule 6 of the CCS(Commutation of Pension) Rules, What will be the date of restoration of additional commutation of pension? The commuted portion of pension shall be restored after 15 years from the respective dates of commutation as provided in Government of India decision No.1 under the Rule 10 of CCS(Commutation of Pension) Rules,1981. Necessary endorsement should be made on PPO. 66. Whether all pre-2006 pensioners/family pensioners would get benefit under Department of Pension and Pensioners' Welfare O.M. NO.38/37/08- P&PW (A) dated ? In the O.M. dated , the minimum pension of pre-2006 retirees in the respective pre- 1996/pre-2006 pay scale has been revised with effect from There will be no change in the pension of those pre-2006 pensioners whose pension (as revised with effect from ) is already equal to or more than this minimum limit. This minimum shall be applicable in case retirement is after qualifying service of thirty-three years. In case qualifying service is less than thirty-three years the amount of pension shall be reduced proportionately. In the case of family pensioner also the minimum family pension shall be as mentioned in Col.10 of the Annexure to the OM dated What happens in case there is no change in pension under OM dated ? Even where there is no change in pension/family pension as a result of the issue of OM dated a revised authority for no change will be issued by the PAOs. 68. Who is to be approached for revision of pension/family pension in terms of O.M. dated For revision of pension in terms of orders dated , in cases where revision has already been done by PAOs consequent to 6th CPC, the revision may be affected at the level of PAOs. A copy of the revised authority may be sent to Head of Department (HOD)/Drawing & Disbursing 17

20 18 Officer (DDO) for record. In cases where no revision has been effected, Head of Offices may follow normal procedure for revision of pension/family pension. 69. Whether these orders dated are applicable in the case of those absorbee pensioners who had received 100% lump sum and are in receipt of one-third restored pension? These orders are not applicable in those cases. In their case separate orders are being issued for revision of notional full pension. No.1/13/09-P&PW (E) Government of India Ministry of Personnel, P.G. & Pensions Department of Pension & Pensioners' Welfare 3rd Floor, Lok Nayak Bhawan, Khan Market, New Delhi, the 11thSeptember, OFFICE MEMORANDUM Sub: Eligibility of widowed/divorced daughters for grant of family pension - clarification regarding. Provision for grant of family pension to a widowed/divorced daughter beyond the age of 25 years has been made vide OM dated This provision has been included in clause (iii) of sub-rule 54 (6) of the CCS (Pension), Rules, For settlement of old cases, it was clarified, vide OM dated , that the family pension may be granted to eligible widowed!divorced daughters with effect from , in case the death of the Govt. Servant/pensioner occurred before this date. 2. This Department has been receiving communications from various Ministries/ Departments seeking clarification regarding eligibility of a daughter who became widowed / divorced after the death of the employee/pensioner. 3. As indicated in Rule 54(8) of the CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972, the turn of unmarried children below 25 years of age comes after the death or remarriage of their mother/father, i.e., the pensioner and hislher spouse. Thereafter, the family pension is payable to the disabled children for life and then to the unmarried/widowed/divorced daughters above the age of 25 years. 4. It is clarified that the family pension is payable to the children as they are considered to be dependent on the Government servant/pensioner or his/her spouse. A child who is not earning equal to or more than the sum of minimum family pension and dearness relief thereon is considered to be dependent on hislher parents. Therefore, only those children who are dependent and meet other conditions of eligibility for family pension at the time of death of the Government servant or hislher spouse, whichever is later, are eligible for family pension. If two or more children are eligible for family pension at that time, family pension will be payable to each child on hislher turn provided he/she is still eligible for family pension when the turn comes. Similarly, family pension to a widowed/divorced daughter is payable provided she fulfils all eligibility conditions at the time of death/ineligibility of her parents and on the date her turn to receive family pension comes. 5. As regards opening of old cases, a daughter if eligible, as explained in the preceding paragraph, may be granted family pension with effect from 30th August, The position is illustrated through an example. Shri A, a pensioner, died in He was survived by his wife, Smt. B, a son Shri C and a daughter, Kumari D, the daughter being the younger. Kumari D married in 1990 and got widowed in Smt. B died in Thereafter, Shri C was getting family pension, being disabled, and died in Thereafter, the family pension was stopped as Kumari D was not eligible for it at that time. She applied for family pension on the basis of O.M., dated 30th August, Since she was a widow and had no independent source of income at the time of death of her mother and on the date her turn came, she may be granted family pension. The family pension will continue only till she remarries or starts earning her livelihood equal to or more than the sum of minimum family pension and dearness relief thereon. 6. This is only a clarification and the entitlement of widowed/divorced daughters would continue to be determined in terms of O.M., dated 25/30th August, 2004, read with O.M., dated (D.K. Solanki)

21 19 No.1I27/2011-P&PW(E) Government of India Ministry of Personnel, P.G. & Pensions Department of Pension & Pensioners' Welfare 3rd Floor, Lok Nayak Bhawan, Khan Market, New Delhi Dated: 20th September, 2013 OFFICE MEMORANDUM Sub: Submission of Form 14 by the spouse to the pension disbursing bank after the death of the pensioner instructions reg. 1. The undersigned is directed to draw attention to the requirement of applying for family pension in Form 14 as given in rule 81 (2) (A) (ii) of the CCS (Pension) Rules, This Department has been receiving representations from various quarters to do away with the condition of applying for family pension in Form 14 as it is causing inconvenience to widows, who find it difficult and embarrassing to present themselves before two Gazetted Officers/persons of repute for attestation of Form Before commencement of family pension, personal identification details of the spouse such as specimen signature, personal mark of identification and left hand thumb impression, proof of age/date of birth of spouse and an undertaking from himlher for recovery of excess payment are to be obtained by the bank. Form 14 serves as a standard processing sheet, which defines and delineates the exact requirement of information to be given to the pension disbursing Bank. It was apprehended that in the absence of this standard, the widows may be asked to submit any relevant or irrelevant information by the bank. This could also lead to delay in commencement of the family pension. 4. The matter has been examined and it has been agreed that in case the pensioner and spouse are holding a joint account, the possibility of claim for family pension from someone else does not arise. Therefore, in such cases, there is no requirement of Form 14. The spouse may inform the Bank of death of the pensioner and request the bank for commencement of family pension, through a simple letter. He/she may enclose a copy of death certificate of pensioner, PPO, proof of his/her own age/date of birth and an undertaking for recovery of excess payment. In other cases, i.e., where the pension is not being credited to the joint bank account of the pensioner and hislher spouse, Form 14 will be continued to be obtained by the banks. However, the condition of attestation of Form 14 has been done away with and witnessing by two persons has been considered as sufficient. 5. For all future cases, Head of Office will forward to the PAO, along with similar details for the pensioner, the specimen signature, personal mark of identification, left hand thumb impression, the proof of age/date of birth and an undertaking from the spouse regarding recovery of excess payment. After the death of the pensioner, the spouse of the deceased pensioner will be required to provide only death certificate to the paying bank, who will identify the spouse based on the information given in the PPO and its own "Know Your Customer" procedures. Where the pensioner and hislher spouse do not have a joint account, Form 14 will be required as in para 4 above. 6. This issues with the concurrence of Department of Expenditure, vide their ID No. 601lE.V/2013,dated (D.K. Solanki) Under Secretary to the Government of India Ph:

22 Government of India Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions D/o Pension & Pensioners' Welfare ( To, Shri Raj Pal Sharam Secretary General CCCGPA, 799, Sector 4, Panckhula Haryana Registration Number : DOPPW/P/2013/02730 Subject : Merger of 50% DR with Basic Pension Sir, Please refer to your representation, which is hereby forwarded to : Shri S. S. Singh Deputy Director General PG Department of Telecommunications DDGPG, Room No Sanchar Bhavan 20 Ashoka Road, New Delhi We will examine the issues as per extant rules/orders and will inform you suitably. Further correspondence in the matter may be addressed to the above address directly. Please mention the above given registration number in the future correspondence. Thanking you Your faithfully (Kailash Chander) Under Secy. to Govt. of India 3. Central Government Employees who had drawn lump sum amount on absorption in a PSU/Autonomous body and have become eligible to restoration of 1/3rd commuted portion of pension as well as revision of the restored amount in terms of this Department's OM No. 4/59/97-P&PW (D) dated will also be entitled to the payment of 90% w.e.f on full pension i.e. the revised pension which the absorbed employee would have received on the date of restoration had he not drawn lump sum payment on absorption and Dearness Pension subject to fulfillment of the conditions laid down in para 5 of the O.M. dated In this connection, instructions contained in this Department's OM No.4/29/99-P&PW (D) dated refer. 4. Payment of DR involving a fraction of a rupee shall be rounded off to the next higher rupee. 5. Other provisions governing grant of DR in respect of employed family pensioners and re employed Central Government Pensioners will be regulated in accordance with the provisions contained in this Department's OM No. 45/73/97-P&PW (G) dated as amended vide this Department's OM No. F. No. 38/88/2008- P&PW(G) dated 9th July, The provisions relating to regulation of DR where a pensioner is in receipt of more than one pension, will remain unchanged. 6. In the case of retired Judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts, necessary orders will be issued by the Department of Justice separately. 7. It will be the responsibility of the pension disbursing authorities, including the nationalized banks, etc. to calculate the quantum of DR payable in each individual case. 8. The offices of Accountant General and Authorised Public Sector Banks are requested to arrange payment of relief to pensioners etc. on the basis of these instructions without waiting for any further instructions from the Comptroller and Auditor General of India and the Reserve Bank of India in view of letter No. 528-TA, 11/ dated 23/04/1981 of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India addressed to all Accountant Generals and Reserve Bank of India Circular No. GANB No. 2958/GA-64 (ii) (CGL)/81 dated the 21st May, 1981 addressed to State Bank of India and its subsidiaries and all Nationalised Banks. 9. In their application to the pensioners/family pensioners belonging to Indian Audit and Accounts Department, these orders issue after consultation with the C&AG. 10. This issues with the concurrence of Ministry of Finance, Department of Expenditure conveyed vide their OM No. 1(4)/EV/2004 dt. Oct, Hindi version will follow. (Charanjit Taneja) Under Secretary to the Government of India 20

23 Text of No. :AD/ CGHS/CHD/ MRCB/ 2013/ dated O/o Additional Director, CGHS, Chandigarh OFFICE MEMORANDUM Sub: Notification of Fresh Empanelment of Private Hospitals & Diagnostic Centres under Contentious Empanelment Scheme of CGHS, Chandigarh In response to Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India, Nirman Bhawan, New Delhi's O.M. No. S.11011/23/2009 CGHS D.II/ Hospital Cell (Part IX) dated & letter No. S.11045/23/2013/CCHS D.II (HEC)/ CGHS (P)/ Pt) dated for continuous fresh empanelment of private hospitals & diagnostic centres for city of Chandigarh, a committee consisting of two senior most CMO's headed by undersigned have selected the private hospitals & diagnostic centres for Chandigarh. The qualified list of hospitals & Diagnostic Centres is according to category and purpose attached as Annexure "I" within this O.M. 2. The hospitals & diagnostic centers who have qualified to be empanelled under CGHS, Chandigarh have submitted the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with CGHS alongwith performance Bank Guarantee, acceptance of CGHS Rates etc. are approved for empanelment of private hospitals & diagnostics centers under CGHS Chandigarh. 3. The empanelment shall be for a period of one year from the date of notification or till new empanelment process which ever is earlier subject to the condition that those Hospital/ Diagnostic Centers/ Imagining centers who have obtained entry level pre-accrediation from NABH/NABL at the time of submission of application, such hospitals would however have to obtain final accrediation from NABH/ NABL within twelve (12) months from the date of issue of this notification and other hospitals/ diagnostic centers have applied for NABH/ NABL accrediation with six (06) months failing which their enpanelment will stand concelled. Sd/ Dr. S.C. Anand, Additional Director,C.G.H.S., Chandigarh **** Sr. No. Name of the Hospital Diagnostic Center/ Imaging Centre/Eye Hospital HOSPITALS 1 Mukat Hospitals & Heart Institute SCO 47-49, Sector 34-A Chandigarh 2 Fortis Hospital, Sector 62, Phase VIII, SAS Nagar Mohali EYE HOSPITALS 1 Grover Eye Laser & ENT Hospital, # 140, Sector 35-A, Chandigarh 2 Grewal Eye,Institute Pvt. Ltd. SCO , Sector 9-C, Madhya Marg, Chandigarh 3 Drishti Eye Hospital, SCO 26 Sector 11, Panchkula DIAGNOSTIC CENTRES/ IMAGINING CENTRES 1 Superb MRI & T Scan Centre, SCO 24-26, Sector 8C, Chandigarh Empanelled for General Purpose & Speciality in Cardiology, Cardovascular & Cardiothoracic Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery including Arthroscopic Surgery & Joint Replacement, Laboratory Service (In House) (NABL) Super Speciality, Cardiology, CTVS,Orthopedic (Including Joint Replacement), Nephrology & Urology, Endocrinology, Neurosurgery, Gastroentrology & GI Surgery & Oncology. Eye Care Eye Care Eye Care MRI Only Whether NABH/NABL Applied for NABH NABH Not Applicable Not Applicable Not Applicable Not Applicable Remarks 21 2 Dr. Shamsher Singh Memorial Radio Diagnostic Centre, SCO 13, Sector 16-D, Chandigarh 3 Chandigarh Clinical Laboratory Private Ltd.,SCO 9, Sector 16 Chandigarh 4 Prime Diagnostic Centre & Heart Institute, SCO 155 Sector 24-D,Chandigarh Radiology & Imagining Services, MRI, CT Scan, Ultrasound, Cplor, Doppler, X-Ray, Mammography Dexa Laboratory Services Ultrasound (USG), Color Doppler, Echo Cardiography, Holter Test, Ambulatory BP Monitoring, TMT,ECG AERB NABL

24 22 CGHS Chandigarh Sr. No. Name of the Hospital / Diagnostic Center / Imaging Center / Eye Hosptial Empanelled for Whether NABH/NABL Remarks HOSPITALS 1 Ivy Health & Life Science Pvt. Ltd. Sector 71, SAS Nagar, Mohali Super Specialty cardiology, Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Specialized Orthopedics Treatment including Joint Replacement, Nephrology & Urology, Endocrinology, Neurosurgery, Gastroenterology & GI Surgery & Oncology NABH 2 Sri Guru Harkrishan Sahib (C) Eye Hospital Trust, Sohana, Sector - 77, SAS Nagar Mohali Ph General Purpose and specialty, in Cardiology, Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Orthopedics & Joint Replacement, Neurosurgery, Nephrology & Dialysis and Urology Applied for NABH 3 Indus Super Specialty Hospital & Cancer Institute, Opp. DC Office, Sector 55, Phase - 1, SAS Nagar, Mohali Amar Hospital, Sector 70, SAS Nagar, Mohali General Purpose Applied for NABH General Purpose Applied for NABH EYE HOSPITALS 1 Sri Guru Harkrishan Sahib (C) Eye Hospital Trust, Sohana, Sector - 77, SAS Nagar Mohali Ph Not Applicable Minutes of the Advisory Committee Held on in CGHS wellnes centre No. 1 Sector 45, Chandigarh The following member for the new Advisory committee were also present 1. Shri ML Pangotra, IA & AD, Chandigarh 2. Shri Rajpal Sharma, Secretary General, CCCGPA, Chandigarh 3. Shri M S Toor, Commandant (Retd.) CRPF, Executive Member, Paramilitary Forces Retired Officers Association, Chandigarh. 4. Shri S R Bhardwaj, Sr. Vice President, Defence Accounts, Pensioners Welfare Association, Chandigarh. 5. Shri Raj Kumar, Representative, Goyal Medicos II, Industrial Area, Phase 2, Chandigarh (Local Chemist) 6. Shri Deepak Mehra, Joint Director, Labour Bureau, Chandigarh 7. Dr. Ashwani Kumar Seniaray, Chairperson, Advisory Committee, CMO I/C, CGHS WC-1, Sector 45, Chandigarh. Welcome Address Dr. Ashwani Kumar Seniaray, CMO (NFSG) In-charge CGHS Wellness Center No. 1, welcomed the members of the Advisory Committee. Sh. M L Pangotra suggested that the date of advisory committee meeting should be displayed in the wellness centre for the information of beneficiaries. The CMO I/C agreed with the suggesion. MRC Status/ Pendency of Claims : As per the information from AD CGHS Office, Chandigarh, the Medical Reimbursement Bills of the CGHS pensioners beneficiaries have been cleared up to May 2013, and cheques are being dispatched. MRC bills for the June 2013 are under process. Performance of Local Chemist

25 23 Shri Raj Kumar, representative of the authorized chemist, was advised to continue to ensure timely supply of LP medicines. The CMO I/C informed the members that the ALC tender is in the final stage of completion. Availability of Drugs in the WC As per records, there are 8 Generic items and 91 Proprietary itesm are available in the WC. The CMO I/C informed the members that the annual demand Medicines through GSMD is awaited. Amenities for the beneficiaries : The members enquired about the new procedure of referral of beneficiaries for the Lab Investigation, Sh. Rajpal Sharma informed that the CCL is causing lot of harassment to the beneficiaries for bringing a number of photocopies of the documents. The CMO I/C appointed a three member committee to visit the CCL and discuss the matter with Mr. RK Khanna The members again suggested for opening of new CGHS Wellness Centre with adequate staff to accmmodate new CGHS beneficiaries. This action will help to bring down the working pressure on the existing wellness centre at Sector 45, Chandigarh. The CMO I/C informed the members that a Claim Adalat will held in the office of the AD CGHS Chandigarh on Staff Punctuality & Behavior The conduct and behavior of the staff of the Wellness Centre has been good. They are courteous and helpful to the senior / aged CGHS beneficiaries. Cleanlines & Maintenance of Wellness Center: The wellness Centre is clean and well maintained. Grievance Redressal The complaint box was opened by Sh. SR Bhardwaj, and no letters were found. The meeting ended with a vote of thanks. (Dr. Ashwani Kumar Seniarary CMO/NFGS) ****** Text No. AD/C GHS/ CHD/ Gen. Asso/ 2013/ Dt of Additional Director, CGHS, Chandigarh. Minutes of the meeting of Pensioners' Association with the representatives of empanelled Hospitals and Diagnostic Centers held on at AM in the office of Additional Director, CGHS, Sector 9, Chandigarh under the Chairmanship of Dr. S.C. Anand, Additional Director, Fourteen members from Pensioner's Associations side and eleven representatives of empanneled hospitals and Diagnostic Centres were present. Dr. S.C. Anand, Additional Director, CGHS Welcomed the members of the Pensioner s Associations and all representatives of empanelled Hospitals and Diagnostic Centres. At the outset, Shri R.R. Khanna, Managing Director, Chandigarh Clinical Lab (P) Ltd. raised the points about tests/ investigations prescribed by the CGHS Medical Officer/ Government, who are eligible for credit facility atcghs approved rates. He wanted to clarify that as there is only one main card holder and several beneficiaries, whether beneficiaries are authorized to sign the photocopy of prescription and how to verify their signatures as the card bears signature of main card holder only. The Additional Director has advised that diagnostic Laboratory shall obtain the prescription either in original or self attested copy of the prescription and self attested photocopies of the CGHS card and upload the same with their bills for claiming payment. In case, UTITSL object and insist for original prescription submitted to CGHS for payment provided valid prescription issued by the Govt. Specialist/ or CGHS in stead of self attested copy of prescription, the bill may be submitted to CGHS for payment provided valid prescription issued by the Govt. Specialist/or CGHS Medical Officer are attached with the Bill. Shri Khanna was satisfied with the clarification given by the Additional Director, CGHS. The members of the pensioner s Association raised issues regarding non-providing cashless facility to CGHS pensioner s beneficiaries in emergency by Fortis Hospital, These cases were handed over to representatives of Fortis Hospital for their comments. The meeting ended with a vote of thanks. (Dr. S.C. Anand), Additional Director CGHS, Chandigarh

26 24 F. No. Z /64/2013- CGHS III. Ministry of Health & Family Welfare Directorate General of Central Govt. Health Scheme Nirman Bhawan, New Delhi, Dated : To All Additional Directors/Joint Directors of C.G.H.S. cities Subject : Instruction to operationazlie the existing MRC module in computer in all CGHS cities and MRC bills are to be submitted through CMO I/C which will be accepted by him online only after tallying with the check list. Sir, Madam, I am directed to refer to the subject mentioned above and to inform you that as per decision in AD/JD Meeting point No. 3(a) the process of online submission of MRC Claims at W.C. level has been explained and the training of operating the MRC module has already been imparted to all the CMO I/Cs. All ADS/JDS are therefore requested to make it mandatory to receive all MRC claims online at wellness centre level after ensuring operationalisation of computer modules by city level NICs. A compliance report may be sent to the Directorate at the earliest. This issues with approval of AS of DG. Yours faithfully, (Dr. B. C. Mohapatra) Addl. Dy Director General (HQ) File No. Z 15025/49/2013-CGHS-III Ministry of Health & Family Welfare Directorate of Central Govt. Health Service (CGHS - III) Nirman Bhawan, New Delhi Dated : Sub : Study visit of the Department - related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare to Chandigarh on Sir, I am directed to refer to the subject mentioned above and in continuation of this office letter of even number dated (Issued on ) and to inform you that matter regarding referring the beneficiaries to Government empanelled hospitals at Chandigarh has been reviewed. It has been decided to stop referring the patient to the private hospitals and refer them to either PGIMR or Chandigarh Medical College. Your faithfully, (Dr. B. C. Mohapatra) Addl. Dy. Director General (HQ)

27 Govt of India Ministry of Health & Family Welfare C.G.H.S. Wellness Center No. 1, Sector 45, Chandigarh Minutes of The meeting of Advisory committee held on in the CGHS wellness center No. 1, Sector 45, Chandigarh The following members for the new Advisory committee were also present : (1) Shri ML Pangotra, IA&AD, Chandigarh (2) Shri Rajpal Sharma, Secretary General, CCCGPA, Chandigarh (3) Shri M S Toor, Commandant (Retd) CRPF, Executive Member, Paramilitary Forces Retired Officers Association, Chandigarh (4) Shri S R Bhardwaj, Sr Vice President, Defence Accounts Pensioners Welfare Association, Chandigarh (5) Shri Raj Kumar, Representative, Goyal Medicos II, Industrial Area Phase 2, Chandigarh (Local Chemist) (6) Shri Deepak Mehra, Joint Director, Labur Bureau, Chandigarh (7) Dr. Ashwani Kumar Seniaray, Chairperson, Advisory Committee, C M O I/C, CGHS WC-1, Sector 45, Chandigarh. Welcome Address : Dr. Ashwani Kumar Seniaray, CMO (NFSG) In-charge CGHS wellness center No. 1, welcomed the members of the Advisory Committee. The CMO I/C informed the members that Prime Diagnostics has been empanelled for the various Cardiac investigations also. The members expressed their satisfaction on this and were delighted that their regular persuasion of higher authorities has finally bore fruits. The advisory committee played an important role in highlighting the issue of non-availability of important cardiac investigation for the beneficiaries. MRC status / pendency of claims : As per the information from AD CGHS office, Chandigarh, the Medical Reimbursement Bills of the CGHS pensioner beneficiaries have been cleared up to June 2013, and cheques are being dispatched. MRC bills for July 2013 are under process. Performance of Local Chemist : Shri Raj Kumar, representative of the authorized chemist, was advised to continue to ensure timely supply of LP medicines. Availability of Drugs in the WC: As per records, there are 8 Generic items and 69 Proprietary items are available in the WC. The CMO I/C informed the members that the annual demand Medicines through GSMD is awaited and AD CGHS has been informed to expedite the process of supply of medicines through GMSD Karnal. For the beneficiaries : The CMO I/C appointed a three member committee visited the CCL and discussed the matter with Mr. Khanna. The committee observed that approach of the management of CCL is least patient friendly and suggested that one more lab should be empanelled for investigations to break the monopoly of CCI and beneficiaries will have the choice to get the investigations from different lab. The members again suggested for opening of new CGHS Wellness Centre with adequate staff to accommodate new CGHS beneficiaries. This action will help to bring down the working pressure on the existing wellness centre at sec 45 Chandigarh. Staff Punctuality & Behavior : The conduct and behavior of the staff of the Wellness Center has been good. They are courteous and helpful to the senior / aged CGHS beneficiaries. Cleanliness & Maintenance of Wellness Centre : The Wellness Centre is clean and well maintained. Grievance Redressal : The complaint box was opened by Sh. Sr Bhardwaj, and no letters were found, The meeting ended with a vote of thanks. (Dr. Ashwani Kumar Seniaray) CMO (NFSG) I/C CGHS Wellness Centre No. 1 25

28 26 Life Saving Medicines (Multi Brands) CGHS S.No. Gemeric Name Brand Name Strengh Packing Manufacturing By 1 ALBUMIN BOUND PACLITAXEL 1. ABRAXANE 100 MG 100 mg BIOCON 2 3 ANASTRAZOL 1. ALTRAZ 1 MG 2. ARIMIDEX 1 MG 1 mg 1 mg 2 x 14 2 x 14 ALKEM ASTRA ZENCA ANTI HEAMOPHILIC FACTOR VIII 1. HEMOFIL M ( I.U.) 2. HEMOFIL M ( I.U.) 3. HEMOFIL M ( I.U) 4. FACTOR VIII CONCENTRATE DRIED (INJ.) 250 IU/ ( I.U.) ( I.U.) ( I.U.) 250 I.U. BAXTER BAXTER BAXTER BAXTER 8 9 ANTI HEAMOPHILIC FACTOR IX 1. IMMUNUNINE (600) 2. FACTOR IX COMPLEX (COAGULATION) FACTORS II, VIII, IX X) DRIED INJECTION 600 IU BAXTER BAXTER BICALUTAMIDE 50 MG 1. BICAL 50 MG (TAB.) 2. TABI CALURAN 50MG (TAB.) 4. BIURA TAB 50 MG 50 MG 50 MG 50 MG 1X30 1X30 1X30 1X10 INTAS BIOPHARMA DR REDDY'S RANBAXY ACCURA CARE BORTEZOMIB 2MG 1. MYEZOM 2MG 2. BORTENAT 2 MG 2 MG 2 MG DR. REDDY'S NATCO BORTEZOMIB 3.5MG 1. MYEZOM 3.5 MG 2. BORTENAT 3.5 MG 3. VELCADE 3.5 MG 3.5 MG 3.5 MG 3.5 MG AMP DR. REDDY'S NATCO JHONSON & JHONSON 19 PURIFIED BOTULIMUM TOXIN 1. BOTXO (INJ.) 100 IU 100IU 1 ALLERGAN

29 27 S.No. Gemeric Name Brand Name Strengh Packing Manufacturing By 20 TYPE A 2. NEURONOX 100 (INJ) 100IU RANBAXY CAPECITABINE 500 MG 1. CAPECITE XELODA MG 500 MG 1X8 1X10 ABBOTT ROCHE CARBOPLATIN 150 MG 1. BIOCARB 150 MG (INJ.) 2. PARAPLATIN mg 150mg BIOCHEM BRISTOL MAYER SQUIBB CARBOPLATIN 450MG 1. BIOCARB 450 MG (INJ.) 2. PARAPLATIN mg 450mg BIOCHEM BRISTOL MAYER SQUIBB CYLOSPORINE 25 MG 1. NEORAL 25 MG (TAB.) CYCLOSPORINE 25 MG SANDIMMUN NEORAL 100 MG (LIQ)/50 ML 25 MG 25 MG 100 MG 1X5 1X6 BOTTLE NOVARTIS PANACEA NOVARTIS CYLOSPORINE 50 MG 1. NEORAL 50 MG (TAB.) 2. CYCLOSPORINE 100 MG 50 MG 50 MG 1X5 1X6 NOVARTIS PANACEA CYLOSPORINE 100 MG 1. NEORAL 50 MG (TAB.) 2. CYCLOSPORINE 100 MG 3. SANDIMMUN NEORAL 100 MG (LIQ)/50 ML 100 MG 100 MG 100 MG 1X5 1X6 BOTTLE NOVARTIS PANACEA NOVARTIS DOCETAXEL 20 MG 1. DOCEREX 20 MG 2. TAXOTERE DOCETERE 20 MG 4. TAXOGEM 20MG 5. TACEEDO 20 MG 20 MG 20 MG 20 MG 20 MG 20 MG ACCURA CARE SANOFI AVENTIS NATCO DOCETAXEL 80 MG 1. DOCEREX 80 MG 2. TAXOTERE DOCENAT MG 80 MG 80 MG ACCURA CARE SANOFI AVENTIS NATCO

30 To CCCGPA leter to Sh. V. Naraina Swami Dated Sh.V. Naraina Swamy, Honorable Minister of State, Department of Pension's and Pensioners Welfare, Government of India New Delhi 28 Subject: Opening of CGHS Dispensary at Panchkula (Haryana). Respected Sir, nd May I have the liberty to remind you of your assurance given on the floor of 22 SCOVA nd meeting held in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on 22 February 2013, that you would take up the case for opening of C.G.H.S dispensary at Panchkula with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The assurance was also reflected in the minutes of the SCOVA meeting circulated to the members. All the elderly pensioners residing in Panchkula and around felt that their long pending demand for opening dispensary at Panchkula had been conceded in principal by Government of India and would be given practical shape very soon. They kept waiting for official announcement in this regard with a bated breath. But to our great dismay and disappointment, nothing concrete in this regard has emerged so far. We have already brought to your kind notice that this demand of our's has been pending for the last ten years. But what pains us most, is that similar demands raised subsequent to our demand by other stations have been meet while placing it at the back burner. CCCGPA approach your good self with a request to prevail upon Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for opening of C.G.H.S dispensary at Panchkula at the earliest in order to ensure proper health care to the elderly pensioners of this area covering Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. With kind regards, Yours faithfully, (Raj Pal Sharma) Secretary General 7th Central pay commission. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh approved the constitution of 7th Central Pay Commission. Its recommendations are likely to be implemented with effect from January 1st The names of Chairperson and Members of the newly constituted commission and its terms of reference will be finalised soon after consultation with major stakeholders. Currently, India is perhaps the only country that has this institution. Most nations, including the United Kingdom, have discontinued the practice of setting up Commissions specifically for revising the salary of government employees. Pensioners fraternity welcome this announcement. Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets ; so love the people who treat you right : Forgive the one's who don't believe that every thing happens for a reason. It you get a chance, take it ; if it changes your life, let it"

31 HE IS A HERO IN LIFE TOO Mysore : Amid growing scams and corruption and amassing of wealth in improper ways by many, a retired Air Force Corporal has shown the world exemplary honesty will be hard to ignore and one can live with dignity even amidst penury. Charles Williams 89, a World War II veteran from Mysore and who is in poor health, wants to return the excess money credited to his pension account. Williams joined the Royal Air Force in pre-independent India. After a six-week pre-induction training, he was posted at Agra. Within days, he was sent to Burma where he saw action against Japanese. "Though in the RAF, our unit saw a lot of ground battle and we dug in and stayed put in the trenches. We were holed up for weeks without regular supply of food and water. The battle that raged was horrific with soldiers getting maimed and killed in the heavy exchange of fire. But ultimately we prevailed" recalled Williams, whose father, P.V. Williams, had been enrolled with the British Army and took part in World War I. Speaking to the Hindu at his residence near Bamboo Bazaar here, Williams said that after independence, he was inducted into the Indian Air Force and was part of the first convoy that landed in Srinagar following the outbreak of hostilities with Pakinstan. He opted for voluntary retirement from the IAF in 1959, joined HAL and retired in After retirement, he found certain anomaly in his pension and complained that he was being underpaid. "A visit to the local Sainik Welfare and Resettlement Board did not help me much as official are apathetic to the grievances of ex servicemen." Williams said he approached M. N. Subramni President, Vekare ex-serviemen trust in Mysore. But, calcualtions showed that the Centralised Pension Processing Centre of State Bank of Mysore, Manglore had credited Williams account with excess money. Mr. Subramani said he was being credited with Rs. 300 towards fixed medical allowances for which he was not entitled to. He was credited with Rs. 15,200 in excess with effect from July "When this was brought to the notice of Williams, he asked me to inform the bank to recover the amount in 15 equal instalments so as not to put him in financial hardship" said Mr. Subramani. What is ironic is that Williams is returning the medical allowance when he needs, it the most. He is visually impaired and desperately needs Rs. 1.5 lakh for a heart operation. "When I am not entitled for something, the national exchequer should not be made to bear the burden." said Williams. Meanwhile, Mr. Subramani has mailed a letter to SBM, mangalore drawing their attention to the anomaly. SAVE YOUR HEART WHEN YOUR HEART SKIPS A BEAT Ever felt your heart skipping a beat? A missing beat by itself might not be significant but if you notice other symptoms like fatigue, weakness, fainting spells, and an inability to cope with the normal routine then you need to see your cardiologist for a complete assessment of your heart s functions. Prema Raman was in her sixties, an active woman who could multi-task with ease. But episodes of irregular heartbeats was taking a toll of her life. Prema s cardiologist put her on a holter, which records one s ECG for 24 hours during normal activity and the pulse as well. To her horror, the doctor told her that she needed a pacemaker. Apart from irregular heartbeats, she also bradycardia (slow heartbeat), which could be dangerous, with her pulse dipping to 35 at night when she was asleep. She was traumatised and terrified but felt better after her doctor explained what was happening. When the heart s two upper chambers, the atria, contract, blood is pumped into the two lower chambers, the ventricles. The ventricles then contract and pump blood to the rest of the body. The combined contraction of the atria and ventricles is a heartbeat. The heart has its own internal electrical system to control the rate and rhythm of heartbeats. With each heartbeat, an electrical signal spreads from the top of the heart to the bottom. Each electrical signal normally begins in a group of cells called the sinus node or sinoatrial (SA) node. As the signal spreads from the top of the heart to the bottom, it coordinates the timing of heart cell activity. Faulty electrical signaling in the heart causes arrhythmias. 29

32 Pacemakers use low-energy electrical pulses to overcome this faulty electrical signalling. 30 A pacemaker is a small device that is placed in the chest or abdomen to help control abnormal heart rhythms. This device uses electrical pulses to prompt the heart to beat at a normal rate. Pacemakers are used to treat arrhythmias. A fast heartbeat is called tachycardia A slow heartbeat is called bradycardia. During an arrhythmia, the heart may not be able to pump enough blood to the body. This can cause symptoms such as fatigue (tiredness), shortness of breath, or fainting. Severe arrhythmias can damage the body's vital organs and may even cause loss of consciousness or death. Pacemakers can be temporary or permanent. Temporary pacemakers are used to treat short-term heart problems, such as a slow heartbeat that is caused by heart attacks, surgery or an overdose of medicine. They are also used during emergencies. They might be used until your doctor can implant a permanent pacemaker or until the temporary condition goes away. When is a pacemaker recommended? Due to an atrio-ventricular block the heart rate may be low or absent resulting in momentary block or loss of consciousness, occasionally even seizures. Then pacemaker implantation is mandatory. A pacemaker is also useful when the pumping efficacy of heart is low, says Dr. S. Thanikachalam, Chairman and Director of Cardiac Care Centre, Sri Ramachandra University, Chennai. Aging or heart disease damages your sinus node s ability to set the correct pace for your heartbeat. This can cause slower than normal heartbeats or long pauses between heartbeats. This condition is called sick sinus syndrome and also warrants implantation of a pacemaker. Aging or heart disease damages your sinus node's ability to set the correct pace for your heartbeat. This can cause slower than normal heartbeats or long pauses between heartbeats. This condition is called sick sinus syndrome and also warrants implantation of a pacemaker. What precautions are advised post-surgery? "Since we keep our patients for a week following the procedure, we make sure that wound is healing well, and dressed regularly, says Dr. T.R. Muralidharan, Electro - Physiologist, Professor of cardiology, Cathlab - in - Charge SRMC who does about pacemaker implants a year. "The patient is advised not to shower for the first two or three days, and not lift the arm above the head or carry even small weights, or stretch the arm for about six weeks. After a month, if there is any discomfort it should be reported." Regular check ups once in 4-6 months are advised. The patient is advised to get into mainstream activity gradually like travelling, driving the care, swimming, resuming the job, golfing and working which will make you return to normal. Even sez is not barred. But there are some things to be avoided like entering an electromagnetic field. One should keep away from transformer, electric arc welding equipment and airport screening devices. The pacemaker identification card helps. MRIs are definitely to be avoided. "Generally, we tell patients to avoid induction cooking, but the risks I believe are fairly small." says Dr. Girish Narayan, Cardiac Electrophysiologist and Cardilogist, Palo Alto Medical Foundation and Staff Physician, Stanford University Hospital, "but you can check with the manufacturer of the device." "You should use the mobile phone on the opposite ear, and at least six inches away from the implant" says Dr. Muralidharan. "Other household appliances like microwave oven, electrical appliances, computers can be safely used." Pacemakers do improve the quality of life and the implant is a small procedure, but check with the doctor before taking any decision. What dose a pacemaker do? * Relieves arrhythmia symptoms. Such as fatigue and fainting. * Helps a person with abnormal heart rhythms resume a more active lifestyle. * Monitors and records heart's electrical activity and rhythm. Newer pacemakers also monitor blood temperature, breathing rate, and other factors and also adust heart rate to change in activity.

33 31 Activities of the Association of Retired officers Of IA&AD during August and September 2013 Monthly meeting of the Association was held on This being the first meeting, after the unopposed election of the present Office Bearers for the next two years i.e and , formation of the new Executive Committee and Advisory Committee was announced in the House. Minutes of the meeting held with the Addl.. Director CGHS, decision of the Supreme Court in the case of Modified Parity and important features of the Silent March conducted by the CSCA were brought to the notice of the members. Members were also informed that a Bank Draft of Rs 51000/- has been sent to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund as a contribution towards Utterakhand tragedy. Our Association was selected as a member of the SCOVA for next two years. Sh. G.S.Pathania, rd General Secretary, represented the Association in the 23 meeting of SCOVA held on and successfully pleaded the pending demands of the Central Govt. Pensioners, especially those residing in and around Chandigarh. (G.S.Pathania) General Secretary rd A brief - 23 meeting of SCOVA held on I represented the Association of Retired Officers of IA&AD in the 23 rd meeting of SCOVA held on in Vygyan Bhawan, New Delhi under the Chairmanship of Hon'ble MOS(PP). Main issues discussed were as under:- 1. Opening of Additional Dispensary in Panchkula, Mohali and Chandigarh: - Though the Department of Health and Family Welfare had shown its inability to open addition dispensaries due to having taken policy decision to open only one Dispensary each in the Capital city of State and financial and logistic constraints yet, on my request, the Chairman assured that he will again take up the matter with the concerned Ministry and item will remain outstanding on their agenda. This was also made possible by the Chairman/ Secretary General of CCCGPA having written a forceful D.O. letter to the Chairman, SCOVA, Hon,ble Ministers, representing Panchkula, Chandigarh and MOS, Health and Family Welfare immediately before the meeting of SCOVA. 2. Allowing of benefit of CGHS facilities to the pensioners of P&T:- It was decided that though some progress has been made in this regard by taking over 19 P&T Dispensaries by the CGHS matter will be pursued further till the benefit is extended to all. 3. Anomaly in fixation of pension to DOT employees absorbed in BSNL who retired between and :- It was decided that the matter will be pursued further by the Deptt. of P&PW. 4. Merger of 78.2 % IDA with basic pension- benefit to the absorbed BSNL pensioners:- Reasons for delay in taking the final decision as explained by the representatives of DOT were not appreciated and were asked to expedite the final decision. 5. Appointment of Specialists and General Medical Officers in CGHS:- It was told by the representatives of the H&FW Min. that feasibility of appointment of specialists of various disciplines in CGHS dispensaries on contract/part time basis was being explored.

34 32 6. Problem faced by Non Smart Card Holders of CGHS:- The issue regarding issuing of CGHS card/smart cards to individual beneficiaries was raised by this Association. It was revealed by the representatives of the M.O.H&FW that instruction s have already been issued to the agencies, who have been allotted the work of preparation of smart cards, to prepare and issue smart-card to beneficiaries individually. 7. Extension of benefit of OMdated w.e.f instead of :- D/O P&PW stated that advice of the Department of Expenditure in regard to further course of action on the dismissal of SLP No of 2013 by the Hon'ble Supreme Court has been sought and was awaited. G.S.Pathania General Secretary Association of Retired officers of IA&AD, Chandigarh The Central Govt. Pensioners CGPWS The Central government Pensioner's Welfare Society celebrated their Annual Day on at the Community Centre Sector 48-C, Chandigarh Sh M. S. Toor, President welcomed the members and brought to time light Various achievements made by the society since its inception. Sh. Manmohan Singh Walia General Secretary Circulated a brief history of the society along with various steps taken for the welfare of the Pensioners. Sh. Raj Pal Sharma Secretary General CCCGPA who also attended the meeting as an invitee informed the members regarding the progress made about pensioners problems including opening CGHS dispensary at Panchkula. He also answered the queries of the members to their satisfaction. The Society decided to increase the life membership fee from Rs. 500/- to Rs. 1000/- w.e.f giving ample time to the prospective members to avail this concessional period. General Secretary Obituary Bibi Gurdeep Kaur W/o S. Pyara Singh Vice Chairman CCCGPA left for heavenly abode on after a prolonged illness. CCCGPA express Condolence with S. Pyara Singh & Family Members. CCCGPA also pray to allmighty to grant peace to the departed benign soul.

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