The Centre has said that the financial security of pensioners has always been taken care of through successive pension revisions guided by the recommendations of the 3rd to 7th Central pay commissions.
Replying to a query on the impact of pension reforms to help pensioners live with dignity, Jitendra Singh, Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, informed the Rajya Sabha that the central government revises pension and family pension through general orders aligned with recommendations of the central pay commission. As on date, there have been successive pension revisions from the 3rd to the 7th Central Pay Commissions, the reply said.
The minister in his response to a question also shared details of additional benefits for senior pensioners aged 80 and above.
In recognition of the challenges faced by elderly pensioners, additional pensions are provided to those aged 80 and above, the reply said. The percentage of additional pension increases with age:
80-85 years: 20% of basic pension
85-90 years: 30% of basic pension
90-95 years: 40% of basic pension
95-100 years: 50% of basic pension
100 years or more: 100% of basic pension
Members of Parliament Sadanand Mhalu Shet Tanavade, Baburam Nishad, and Subhash Barala raised questions regarding the impact of the Pension Adalat on grievance redressal and the broader goal of ensuring pensioners’ dignity.
What is Pension Adalat?
Pension Adalat is an important administrative reform for improving pensioners’ welfare by timely and effective redressal of long-standing grievances of central government pensioners.
There is substantial decrease in the number of pensioners’ grievances due to Pension Adalats since the initiative’s inception in 2019, the Centre has claimed.
In 2019, the pension Adalat took up as many as 5,277 cases and resolved 3,573 cases, logging a success rate of 67.70%. Five years late in 2024, the number of cases taken up by Pension Adalat so far during the year has dropped to 403. Of this, over 81% or 330 cases have been resolved, official data showed.
The minister in his reply highlighted that the initiative has successfully streamlined the grievance redressal process and improved the overall welfare of pensioners.