FAMILY PENSION

"Coining innovative English alphabet primers for the Indian public seems to be the order of the day, Gujarat CM Narendra Modi recently coined one A=B=C=D learner to launch a blistering attack on the Congress in Jaipur, while angry I&B minister Manish Tiwari angrily extended it to F & G. But the phenomenon is not confined to the political arena alone, the Govt. officials are also catching on the trend.

Not so long ago, Social Welfare Ministry was at wit's end trying to crack the primer the Dept. of Pensions and Pensioners Welfare wrote to explain a new welfare measure.  Not quite able to fathom how a daughter gets to benefit from a retired Govt. employee father's pension, once he is dead, the ministry wanted some guidance. Instead it got a a primer from the managers of Pension Dept. This is how the Dept. explained a daughter can become eligible for her deceased govt. servant father's pension.

• It all remains in the family. When Shri A, pensioner dies, he is survived by his wife Smt. B, son Shri C and daughter Kum.D, the daughter is not eligible when the father dies, The pension goes to Smt B, who too dies after a few years. The pension then goes to Shri C who is a disabled. Meanwhile Kum D gets married but is widowed or divorced without income. Once Shri C dies, the pension goes to (Kumari) D.  But D, the widowed/ divorced daughter without income, is eligible for the deceased father's Shri A's pension, till the time she gets to earn livelihood equal or more than the sum of minimum family pension and dearness relief thereon.

The memorandom or the rigmarole of rule, was issued on September 11."

(News item published in Indian Expree 17-9-2013 Bangalore Edition.)

This may be funny but the Central Govt.Pension rules are liberalised. The pension will not end on the death of the wife but will be continued albeit with some conditions, adds SHRI SAMPATH IYENGAR FROM BANGALORE.