House panel wants pension raise to start from 65 years
New Delhi, Dec. 19: A parliamentary panel has expressed concern over delay in disposal of pensioners' grievances beyond the stipulated 60 days, and asked the Centre to constitute social audit panels to identify core complaint- prone areas and streamline their systems.
The panel also asked the government to sympathetically consider the demand of pensioners' associations for 5 per cent additional quantum of pension on attaining the age of 65 years, 10 per cent on 70 years, 15 per cent on 75 years and 20 per cent on 80 years to the pensioners.
Noting a steep increase in the number of re-registered grievances over the years, the panel suggested putting up an accountability mechanism in place and exploring the feasibility of holding the grievance redressal authorities concerned answerable for summarily disposing of grievances without appropriate qualitative action.
The recommendations by the Department-related Parliamentary Standing
Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions were made in its report titled 'Pensioner's Grievances—Impact of Pension Adalats and Centralised Pensioners Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPENGRAMS)'.
CPENGRAMS is a centralised web-enabled pension grievance redressal system. Pensioners can submit their grievances online or through pensioner associations or send it through post.
The report also noted that at present, central government pensioners are entitled to receive an additional quantum of pension equivalent to 20 per cent of basic pension on attaining the age of 80 years, 30 per cent on attaining 85 years, 40 per cent on attaining 90 years, 50 per cent on attaining 95 years and 100 per cent on crossing 100 years, the report said.
The committee said it is very much cognizant of the social churning taking place in our society.
"The growth of nuclear families due to geographical and social mobility have further led to rise in individualism and individualistic thinking, and the generation who want to live away from shackles of joint families and patronage of elderly parents or grandparents," it said.
According to one estimate, by 2050, the share of population over the age of 60 is likely to increase significantly in the country.
"In view of such changes at societal level, we need to have a robust pension system for elderly which can help them survive in this world without being a burden on anyone," it said.
The committee is of the view that the government should sympathetically consider the demand of pensioners' associations for 5 per cent additional quantum of pension on attaining the age of 65 years, 10 per cent on 70 years, 15 per cent on 75 years and 20 per cent on 80 years to the pensioners.
The committee recommends Department of Pension and Pensioners' Welfare to pursue vigorously with the finance ministry and apprise it of the outcome, it said.