Our Correspondent / New Delhi
Central Government employees who are retiring during COVID-19 pandemic will get provisional pension till their regular Pension Payment Order (PPO) is issued and other official formalities completed.
Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Dr Jitendra Singh said that due to disruption in the official work amid pandemic and lockdown, some of the employees who had retired during this period may not have been provided with PPO.
He said, a decision is taken that in order to avoid a delay in the start of regular pension, the rules may be relaxed to enable seamless payment of Provisional Pension and Provisional Gratuity till the regular PPO is issued.
The payment of Provisional Pension will initially continue for a period of six months from the date of retirement and the period of Provisional Pension may be further extended up to one year in exceptional cases.
These instructions will also be applicable in cases where a government servant retires otherwise than on superannuation like voluntary retirement and retirement under FR 56.
The Minister said, the decision has been taken considering that because of the constraints of pandemic and lockdown, a government servant may find difficulty in submitting his Pension Forms to the Head of Office or may not be able to forward the Claim Form in hard copy along with Service Book to the concerned Pay and Accounts Office in time, particularly when both the offices are located in different cities.
The Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare has directed all offices maintaining GPF accounts to complete all credit entries including accruing interest to the employees two years before retirement and then one year before retirement so that Provident Fund is also paid accurately in time