By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, MAR 24, 2018: WHILE addressing the 30th meeting of the Standing Committee of Voluntary Agencies (SCOVA) held on March 23, 2018, the Union Minister of State (I/C) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said that the SCOVA which was first constituted in July, 1986 would be completing 32 years this year. The SCOVA meeting was organised by the Department of Pensions & Pensioners' Welfare (DoP&PW), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions here on March 23, 2018.

Dr. Singh said that this platform has gone a long way in addressing in a focused manner issues related to pensioners. The Minister while assuring the representatives of pensioners' associations said that it was no more mandatory to have one's Adhaar Card to get his or her pension. Dr. Jitendra Singh said that this government has given relief to the senior citizens and pensioners in the budget 2018-19 by allowing Standard Deduction of Rs. 40,000/- per year to the pensioners and given exemption on tax on account of interest income from bank savings accounts has been increased to Rs. 50,000/ from Rs. 10,000/- per year. Deduction on account of health insurance premium which was earlier allowed at maximum of Rs.30,000/- has now been increased to Rs. 50,000/- in the case of senior citizens or pensioners.

The Minister said that the Department of Pensions has brought out a series of OMs to benefit the Pensioners or Family Pensioners in the last 12 months including enhancing of minimum pension from Rs.3500/- to Rs.9000/- per month; the ceiling of gratuity has been increased from the existing Rs.10 lakhs to Rs.20 lakhs; the rates of ex-gratia lump sum compensation being paid to the families of employees who die in performance of duty has been increased from existing Rs. 10-15 lakhs to Rs.25-45 lakhs. He also said that divorced daughter will be eligible for family pension if divorce case has been filed before the death of pensioner or family pensioner, even though the judgment has been passed after the death of the pensioner or family pensioner.

In the meeting, discussions were held on the action taken report of the 29th SCOVA meeting. Further many issues related to pensioners were discussed threadbare, such as revision of PPOs of pre-2006 pensioners, Health Insurance Scheme for pensioners including those residing in non-CGHS area, Special 'Higher' Family Pension for widows of the war disabled invalidated out of service, Extension of CGHS facilities to P&T pensioners, issue relating to CGHS Wellness Centre, Dehradun. The Minister directed for the prompt and time bound redressal of the grievances of the pensioners and said that we should have sympathetic attitude towards them.