Pension FAQ
Q. 1 How is provisional pension/DCRG calculated and under which circumstances it will be admissible?
Ans. Where the Head of the Office has forwarded the Pension papers to Accountant General (A&E) Punjab within the prescribed period but the latter has returned them to Head of Office for eliciting further information before issue of Pension Payment Order and order for payment of Gratuity and if the Head of Office in such a case is of opinion that Government employee is likely to retire before his pensionary benefits can be finally assessed and settled in accordance with the provision of rules, he shall without delay, take steps to determine the qualifying service of service and emoluments qualifying for pension and sanction of provisional pension/DCRG after obtaining necessary certificates as required under Rule 5.9 (3) of Punjab CSR Vol. II.
(Rule 9.9 CSR Vol. II)
Q.2 What is the procedure for drawing pension from a bank?
Ans. Particulars/name of the Public Sector Bank through which payment of the pension is desired to be received, is mentioned by the pensioner/retiree in his pension application, viz. Form Pen. I. The Accountant General, while issuing the PPO to the District Treasury Officer mentions on the PPO itself, the particulars of the Public Sector Bank from which the pensioner has opted to draw pension. The District Treasury Officer, in turn, forward both halves of Pension Payment Order to the link branch of that Public Sector Bank. The District Treasury Officer maintains a record of all the Pension Payment Orders transferred by him to the link branch of the concerned Public Sector Bank. The documents received from the District Treasury Officer viz. both halves of Pension Payment Orders are forwarded by the link branch to the particular paying branch.
The paying branch obtains specimen signatures/thumb impression, in space provided for the purpose in the disbursers portion of PPO, and hand over the pensioner’s portion of the PPO to the pensioner. The process of identification of pensioner comprises checking of signatures of the pensioner with that available on the disbursers portion of PPO and resembles with the pensioner’s photographs fixed thereon. The new pensioner has also to produce his personal copy of the letter of the Accountant General forwarding the PPO.
In case of pensioner drawing their pension through Public Sector Bank, payment of family pension, at the rate indicated in the PPO is commenced by the paying branch on receipt of death certificate of the pensioner and application for family pension in Form Pen. 16(a) alongwith the pensioners portion of the PPO. The paying branch is responsible for obtaining certificate of remarriage/non-marriage once in a year, in December, from the recipient of family pension.
Q.3 What happens when PPO is lost in transit at the very initial stage after issue from AG office?
Ans. In the event the PPO is lost in the initial stage and no payment has been made by the dispatching authority, duplicate PPO will be issued by the Accountant General office on receipt of non Payment certificate and copy of police report from the despatching authority i.e. Treasury with further Certificate to this effect that on tracing/availability of original PPO, the same will be surrendered to AG office without making any payment on the same.
Q.4 What to do when pensioners portion of PPO is lost?
Ans. When the Pensioner’s Half of the PPO is stated to have been lost, the District Treasury Officer will review the Pension Payment Order on a payment of fee at the prescribed rate.
(Rule 4.109 read with 4.97 of Punjab Treasury Rules)
Q. 5 What is the procedure for transfer of pension from one treasury to another (within the State)?
Ans. (a) The Government or the Accountant General may, on application and on sufficient cause being shown, permit transfer of payment of pension from any treasury in the State.
(b) Treasury Officer may transfer pension on sufficient cause being shown from one treasury to another within the State subject to the following conditions:-
(i) If at the time of transfer the pension payment order is renewed on account of the original having been lost, the fact of its having been renewed and the circumstances leading thereto shall be intimated to the Treasury Officer of the district to which the payment is transferred.
(ii) That transfer of the payment of pension applied for by the pensioners proceeding to hill stations for summer months only shall not be allowed in any case.
(iii) A copy of the letter effecting the transfer shall invariably be supplied to the Accountant General (A&E), Punjab.
(iv) The payment of such pensions shall be entered on a separate page of the relevant pension schedule giving the name of the district from which the pension has been transferred.
Q. 6 How much pension can I commute? When will it get restored?
Ans. The Government servant who have retired and may retire from Punjab State Government service on or after 1.1.2006 can commute a portion not exceeding 40% (forty percent) of their monthly pension.
The commuted portion of pension shall get restored after fifteen years from the month following the month of payment of CVP.
Q. 7 How is Retirement/Death Gratuity calculated?
Ans. (a) A Government servant who has completed five years of qualifying service, may on his retirement, on after 1.1.2006, be granted retirement gratuity equal to ¼ of his emoluments for each completed six monthly period of qualifying service, subject to maximum of 16½ times the emoluments and a ceiling of Rs. 10 lacs.
(b) Death Gratuity in case of death of an employee in harness on or after 1.1.2006 the gratuity shall be at following rates:-
Sr. No. Length of qualifying service Rate of Gratuity
(i) Less than one year of qualifying service Two times of emoluments
(ii) One year or more but less than five years Six times of emoluments
(iii) Five year and more but upto 12 years Tweleve times of emoluments
(iv) Above 12 years ½ of emoluments for every completed six monthly period of qualifying service subject to a maximum of 33 times emoluments and a ceiling of 10 lacs. For the purpose of calculating the DCRG, BP+GP DA admissible to the Government employee on the date of his retirement/death shall also be treated as emoluments.
Q.8 How is pension calculated? What is the minimum and maximum limit of pension?
Ans. The amount of superannuation, retiring, compensation and invalid pension in respect of a Government employee who retires on or after 1.1.2006 shall be calculated as under or before:
D.C.R.G : ½ of last ten months or LPD whichever is more beneficial
Pension: Full pension shall be 50% of average emoluments and would be available on a qualifying service of 33 years. In case qualifying service is less than 33 years, the pension will be proportionally reduced. The minimum rate of Basic pension will be Rs. 3500/- per month w.e.f. 01.01.2006
Q. 9 How and when to submit the Pension papers? What documents needs to be furnished?
Ans. The retiring Government employee is required to submit his particulars in form, PEN.- 15, eight months before the date of superannuation, which will include, interalia,
(i) 2 specimen signatures of Government employee duly attested (to be furnished in a separate sheet).
(ii) 3 copies of passport size joint photographs of the Government employee and his/her wife/husband duly attested by Pension Sanctioning Authority.
(iii) Two slips each showing particulars of the height and personal identification marks duly attested.
(iv) Detail of family members.
(Rule 9.2 & Form PEN. 15 of said Rules)
Q. 10 What is the procedure for preparation of pension papers?
Ans. The Government’s intention is that the payment of superannuation pension should in all cases commence on the 1st of the month in which it is due. For this purpose, Head of the Office and others responsible for or connected with the pension cases will be required to observe following time schedule for various processes leading to the authorisation and payment of pension and gratuity.
The Heads of office or other authority responsible for preparing Pension papers will initiate the pension case two years before the date of retirement of the Government servant. At this stage the work will be essentially that of assembling the information necessary for working out the qualifying service (or at a later date the calculation of the average emoluments). As most delays in pension cases arise from gaps, deficiencies and imperfections in the Service Books/records, every effort should be made at this stage to remove this. This process should be completed in good time and at any rate not later than 8 months in advance of the date of retirement of the Government servant.
On reaching that stage i.e. eight months before the retirement date the actual work of preparation of pension cases viz. the reckoning of qualifying service and the calculation of average emoluments etc. should be taken up.
The process of determining the qualifying service and the average emoluments and the admissible pension and gratuity should positively be completed within a period of two months and the Pension papers should be sent to this office not later than six months before the date of retirement. The office of the Accountant General will after the necessary scrutiny of the papers, issue the Pension Payment Order including Retirement Gratuity not later one month in advance of the date of retirement.
In order to ensure that the payment of pension in all cases commences on the first of the month in which it is due it has been decided that the progress of the pension cases should be watched by the Heads of offices and the Heads of the Departments by means of monthly and quarterly statements so that the various cut off dates laid above are strictly followed.
Q. 11 What benefit shall I be entitled to on my retirement?
Ans. The following benefits become payable to a retiring Government servant:-
(a) Service Gratuity if the qualifying service is less than 10 years (20 half years). (Para 3.1 of Punjab Government letter No. 1/16/89-1FP III/8078 dated 31.8.89)
(b) Pension if qualifying service is not less than 10 years.
(c) Retirement Gratuity if qualifying service is not less than 5 years.
(d) Terminal Gratuity if retired/discharged after rendering temporary service not less than 5 years.
(Rule 6.16 (C) of Punjab CSR Vol. II)
Q.12 What if a Government servant is not retired on due date of superannuation?
Ans. Retirement of a Government servant is automatic on the age of attaining Superannuation and in the absence of specific orders to the contrary by the Competent Authority a Government servant must retire on the due date. The cases of over stayal beyond the date of superannuation involving collusive or contrived motives on the part of the Head of the Office or any other higher officer should be identified and suitable action (including recovery of excess payments made as result of such irregularities) taken against such officers to arrest such irregularities. The cases of wilful tampering in the dates of birth involving moral turpitude on the part of the concerned Government servant should be identified and referred to Director General of Police for getting these investigated by a Special Cell and severe disciplinary action taken against defaulter to prove as a deterrent.
Q. 13 When Shall I retire?
Ans. Except as provided in other clauses of the rule 3.26 of Punjab CSR Vol. I, the date of retirement of a Punjab Government employee other than a Class IV Government employee, is the date on which he attains the age of 58 years. A Class IV Government employee should be required to retire at the age of 60 years. Further a Government employee whose date of birth falls on any day of the month other than the first of that month shall on attaining the age of superannuation, retire on the last day of that month, which will be treated as working day. A Government employee whose date of birth is first of the month shall retire on afternoon of the last day of the preceding month.
(Rule 3.26 (d) of Punjab CSR Vol. I.)
If the date of birth is not known, but year or year and month of birth is known, 1st July, or the 16th of the month respectively may be treated as date of birth.
(Note 2 below Rule 2.5 of Punjab CSR Vol. I)