Guwahati, May 19 (IANS). The Assam government has taken a big and strict decision regarding timely payment of pension to retired employees. Now, fine will be imposed on officials causing negligence or unnecessary delay in releasing pension. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma gave information about this new arrangement on Tuesday.
In a post on the social media platform ‘X’, the Chief Minister said that the retired employees of the state have contributed significantly to the development of Assam and it is their right to get pension on time along with a respectable life.
He wrote, “Our retired employees have made a huge contribution to the progress of Assam. It is their right to get pension on time. To ensure this, we are implementing a new system of accountability, in which delay will also be penalized. Our pensioners deserve respect and dignity.”
The announcement was made following a new notification issued by the Department of Administrative Reforms, Training, Pensions and Public Grievances. Under the new system, if the prescribed timelines and government standards are not followed in the settlement of pension cases, action will be taken against the concerned officials.
According to officials, now a list of pending and delayed pension cases will be prepared every month through ‘Kritagya Portal’. This list will be sent to the concerned departments, district commissioners and senior officials, so that monitoring and action can be ensured.
Let us tell you that ‘Gratitude Portal’ is an online pension approval and payment tracking system launched by the Government of Assam for retired employees and pensioners.
According to the new notification, a recovery of Rs 250 per day will be made from the officers responsible for delay in different stages of the pension process. However, the maximum limit of fine has been fixed at Rs 5,000.
The government has also made it clear that this amount will be deducted directly from the salary of the officer concerned. For this, FinAssam portal will be used and the deduction will be reflected in the salary statement of the next month. It is an integrated financial management system of the Finance Department of the Government of Assam.
In the order, Drawing and Disbursing Officers have been asked to ensure that the recovery process is implemented properly and its complete information is sent to the Department of Administrative Reforms, Training, Pension and Public Grievances.
Government officials say that the purpose of this new system is to increase accountability in government offices, speed up administrative work and to provide pensioners their rights on time without any hassle. This new system has been implemented with immediate effect.
–IANS
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