Minutes of the 33rd SCOVA meeting held under the Chairmanship of Hon’ ble MOS(PP) on 22.02.2024: DOPPW

Minutes of the 33rd SCOVA meeting held under the Chairmanship of Hon’ ble MOS(PP) on 22.02.2024: DOPPW OM dated 03.04.2024

No. 42/1 1/2023-P&PW(D)
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare
***

3rd Floor, Lok Nayak Bhawan
Khan Market, New Delhi- 110003
Date:- 03 April, 2024

To

All the Pensioners’ Associations included in SCOVA
Vide Resolution dated 26.09.2023

Sub:- Minutes of the 33rd SCOVA meeting held under the Chairmanship of Hon’ ble MOS(PP) on 22.02.2024, at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi-reg

Please find enclosed herewith the minutes of the 33rd Meeting of Standing Committee of Voluntary Agencies (SCOVA) held under the Chairmanship of Hon’ble MoS (PP) on 22.02.2024 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

Encl: as above

(Ashutosh Kamar Agrawal)
Under Secretary to the Government of India

Minutes of the 33rd Meeting of Standing Committee of Voluntary Agencies (SCOVA) held under the Chairmanship of Hon’ble MOS(PP) on 22.02.2024 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi

At the outset, Secretary, DoPPW, welcomed Hon’ble MOS(PP), representatives of Pensioners Associations and the officers of various Ministries/Departments/Banks for participating in the meeting. List of participants is annexed.

2. Addressing the participants, Secretary (P&PW) highlighted recent reforms and initiatives undertaken by the Department for the welfare of Pensioners. He highlighted that Department has issued OM on 01.01.2024 stipulating that in case of divorce proceedings in respect of a female Government servant/female pensioner are pending in a Court of Law, the female Government servant/female pensioner can make a request for grant of family pension after her death to her eligible child/children, in precedence to her husband.

3. Thereafter, the Action Taken Report on the unresolved agenda items of 32nd SCOVA meeting, were taken up for discussion which are as follows:

(i) Shortage of Doctors, Specialists and Para-Medical Staff in CGHS posts due to increase in number of patients consequent on merger of Postal Dispensaries and need for creation/sanction of new posts to maintain patient and Doctor/Para-medical staff ratio.

(ii) Periodical health check-up for pensioners may be conducted at least once in 6 months or on annual basis.

(iii) Operationalisation of 2nd CGHS Wellness Centre with posting of full sanctioned medical staff.

(iv) Enhancement of Additional Pension

(v) Enhancement of Fixed Medical Allowance (FMA) to pensioners residing in non-CGHS areas.

4. Discussion on New Agenda Items

(33.1): Grant of Fixed Medical Allowance (FMA) to the Widowed/Divorced/Unmarried daughters who are in receipt of family pension

(33.2):- Railways fare concession must be allowed to Senior Citizens/Pensioners as per pre-Covid period.

(33.3) Grant of increment to the retiring employees on the date of their retirement, if the date of their increment follows their date of retirement – Amendment to the rules governing grant of increment & extension of the amended rule to pensioners as a one-time measure

(33.4) Construction of CGHS Polyclinic/ Hospital at Jammu

(33.5) One time option to CGHS Beneficiaries to choose their ward entitlement based on their Notional Pay in 7th CPC Pay Matrix

(33.6) Non-Revision of CGHS rates

(33.7) Provision in CPENGRAMS for entering address of grievance registering Pensioners’ Associations

(33.8) Non-indication of Dearness Relief (DR) paid on age related Additional Pension in the SMS on pension credit received by DoT Pensioners in SAMPANN

(33.9) Delay in restoration of commutation amount by Pension Disbursing Banks even after completion of 15 years of retirement.

(33.10) Issues related to SPARSH

i) Delay in Pension profile Data verification and Upgradation

ii) Non-payment of additional pension even after completion of 80 years.

5. In addition to the above agenda items, All India Central Govt. Pensioners’ Association, Pune Maharashtra suggested that instead of opening new CGHS Wellness Centres, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare may consider empanelling more private hospitals only for IPD facilities and continue Fixed Medical Allowance (FMA), 1n lieu of OPD treatment for the CGHS beneficiaries. One of the Pensioners’ Associations 1.e All India Federation of Pensioners’ Association, Chennai, stated that during the COVID period, some hospitals refused to provide cashless facilities to pensioners at Chennai. Responding to this, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare urged the concerned Pensioners’ Association that the matter may be referred to the knowledge of Additional Director (CGHS), Chennai. Hon’ble MOS(PP) suggested that an online system may be created to lodge such grievances on CGHS portal.

6. In this connection, Hon’ble MOS(PP) asked DoPPW to arrange meetings with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to assess first-hand information regarding hardships/difficulties faced by pensioners in obtaining CGHS facilities through CGHS Wellness Centres. In this regard, Secretary (P&PW) informed the Hon’ble MOS(PP) that Cabinet Secretary had taken a meeting on CGHS related issues. Three major issues were highlighted in the meeting taken by Cabinet Secretary 1.e (i) revision of package rates; (ii) filling up of backlog vacancies; and (iii) improvement procurement system for availability of medicines. Further, Secretary (P&PW) informed that he had also visited Safdarjung Hospital and RML Hospital to review CGHS OPD facilities provided to the Pensioners.

7. In his concluding address, Hon’ble MOS(PP) and Chairman of SCOVA stated that several revolutionary changes have been brought in since 2014 for bringing “ Ease of Living” to the common man especially Pensioners. Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare has set up a Grievance Redressal Portal (CPENGRAMS) with the objective to create a single window mechanism for pensioners to raise their grievances and get them resolved without approaching various authorities in person. Further, feedback desk has also been set up to assess the quality of disposal of grievances. Among pensioners, the reliability factor of portal has increased over the period.

8. Hon’ble MOS(PP) further added that DoPPW is the first Central Government Department to use Face Authentication Technology in submission of Digital Life Certificate (DLC) to enhance “Ease of Living” of Pensioners. In this regard, a Nation-wide Campaign was held during the month of November, 2023 in 105 cities across the country, where more than 1.15 crore DLCs were generated. Hon’ble MOS(PP) also mentioned that DoPPW has been organising Pension Adalats for on-the-spot resolution of grievances of Central Govt. pensioners.

9. The meeting ended with a vote of thanks to the Chair and all other participants.

*****

Source: DOPPW