Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Procedure of obtaining medical certificate/disability certificate by children of a deceased Govt Servant is Kafkaesque and needs to be simplified: Action Taken Report on recommendation of DRPSC

                                                           PARLIAMENT OF INDIA

RAJYA SABHA
DEPARTMENT-RELATED PARLIAMENTARY STANDING COMMITTEE ON
PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES, LAW AND JUSTICE
Rajya Sabha Secretariat, New Delhi
December, 2022 / Agrahayana, 1944 (Saka)

ONE HUNDRED TWENTIETH REPORT
ON
ACTION TAKEN ON ONE HUNDRED TENTH REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON
“PENSIONER’S GRIEVANCES – IMPACT OF PENSION ADALATS AND CENTRALIZED
PENSION GRIEVANCES REDRESS AND MONITORING SYSTEM (CPENGRAMS)”
PERTAINING TO
THE DEPARTMENT OF PENSION & PENSIONERS’ WELFARE
(MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES & PENSIONS)

(Presented to the Rajya Sabha on 8th December, 2022)
(Laid on the Table of the Lok Sabha on 8th December, 2022)

Full liberalized pension to widows of Paramilitary Personnel at par with the widows of defence personnel
RECOMMENDATIONS/OBSERVATIONS IN RESPECT OF WHICH THE COMMITTEE DOES NOT ACCEPT THE REASONS GIVEN BY THE GOVERNMENT AND REITERATES ITS RECOMMENDATIONS

GRIEVANCES PERTAINING TO AUTHORIZATION, SANCTION AND PROCESSING OF PENSION AUTHORIZATION, SANCTION AND PROCESSING OF PENSION

Recommendation/Observation

3.21 The Committee recommends the Department to instruct the Ministries/Departments of the Central Government to be proactive, reach out to the family pensioners and also assist them in claiming family pension.

3.22 The Committee notes that the procedure of obtaining medical certificate/disability certificate by children of a deceased Government Servant is Kafkaesque and needs to be simplified. (4.13)

Action Taken

3.23 DoPPW will instruct the Ministries/Departments of the Central Government to be proactive, reach out to the family pensioners and also assist them in claiming family pension. Obtaining medical certificate/disability certificate by children of a deceased Government Servant has been simplified. One can obtain disability certificate from:

(i) an authority competent to issue disability certificate in accordance with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (49 of 2016), the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules, 2017 and the guidelines and notifications issued by the Central Government or a State Government or a Union territory administration; or

(ii) a Medical Board comprising of a Medical Superintendent or a Principal or a Director or Head of the Institution or his nominee as Chairman and two other members, out of which at least one shall be a Specialist in the particular area of disability including mental retardation.

Further observation

3.24 Family pensioners have to face many hurdles to get their pension on time. On one hand they have to grapple with the loss of the breadwinner and on other hand they struggle to procure all the documents to get their pension started. Accordingly, the Departments/Organizations should be sensitive and forthcoming in dealing with family pension cases.

***

Source: Rajya Sabha