New Delhi, 14 May (H.S.): Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy, and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh, stated that the country's pension administration has undergone remarkable changes over the past decade. It has evolved from a process-driven system into a technology-enabled, people-centric mechanism focused on the dignity, transparency, and ease of living for pensioners.

Addressing the 16th All India Pension Adalat held at Vigyan Bhawan, Dr. Jitendra Singh said pensioners should be viewed not as beneficiaries of government assistance but as valuable contributors to nation-building, whose experience, expertise, and institutional memory form a national treasure. He added that the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership has made continuous efforts to ensure a simple, empathetic, and accountable pension administration.

Dr. Singh stated that the greatest feature of the Pension Adalat system is that all stakeholders sit together on a common platform and collectively resolve disputes often on the spot, rather than limiting discussions to routine file transfers and official correspondence.

Referring to pension reforms since 2014, Dr. Jitendra Singh said there was a time when the Department of Pension and Pensioners' Welfare operated largely out of public attention within a limited administrative framework. However, through continuous reforms, digital initiatives, and citizen-centric decisions in recent years, it has become one of the government's most active departments.

Dr. Jitendra Singh highlighted the government's initiative to simplify the process of issuing life certificates through biometric authentication and digital technology. He said the Digital Life Certificate campaign has now transformed into a public participation initiative, significantly reducing hardships for elderly pensioners. He noted that over one crore pensioners have already benefited from this system, making pension delivery more accessible, transparent, and hassle-free.

The Union Minister of Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions also mentioned several reforms implemented in recent years, including simplification of family pension rules, removal of outdated provisions related to missing persons, relaxations in procedures for divorced and separated daughters, and improvements in benefits for disabled dependents. He said these reforms have been carried out keeping in mind practical realities and sensitivity to the difficulties faced by pensioners and their families. Since this initiative began in 2017, a total of 15 Pension Adalats have been held so far, with hearings conducted on 27,812 cases. Of these, 19,948 complaints were resolved on the spot during the adalats, reflecting a success rate of over 71.72%. The remaining cases were resolved later through inter-ministerial coordination and review mechanisms.

The 16th Pension Adalat, organized by the Department of Pension and Pensioners' Welfare, held hearings for swift resolution of 985 pending pension complaints related to various ministries, departments, and organizations. During the program, pamphlets on the success of this initiative were released, along with guidelines for the Pension Adalat, and the Joint Secretary (Pensions) presented important pension cases before Dr. Jitendra Singh.

The Pension Adalat examined 985 cases related to 37 ministries and departments that had been pending for more than 45 days as of April 15, 2026. Of the total complaints, 728 cases have now been disposed of.

During the proceedings, a total of 26 important cases related to 16 ministries and departments were presented before Dr. Jitendra Singh. These included 12 from the Ministry of Defence, 8 from the Ministry of Home Affairs, and 2 from the Ministry of Railways, with the rest from other ministries and departments.

Eight pensioners and family pensioners appeared in person at the Pension Adalat, including beneficiaries from Akola in Maharashtra and Haldwani in Uttarakhand, while 18 other pensioners joined via video conferencing from various parts of the country, ranging from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh and Bikaner in Rajasthan to Kolkata and Erode in Tamil Nadu.

This reflects the growing reach of this initiative across the country.

In cases resolved through the Pension Adalat mechanism, one resulted in the release of pension benefits exceeding Rs 74 lakh, while in two other cases, beneficiaries received payments totaling approximately Rs 46 lakh.

The Pension Adalat proceedings were attended by the Secretary and senior officials of the Department of Pension and Pensioners' Welfare, representatives from ministries and departments, pensioners' associations, banks, and other stakeholders.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar