New Delhi, 02 April (H.S.):

The Central Government has signed an agreement with the Government of Goa and the Cochin Port Authority to simplify pension services through the technology‑enabled platform “Sampann” (System for Accounting and Management of Pension), as part of its push for tech‑driven, citizen‑centric governance.

Under this arrangement, the entire pension‑administration process—from pension sanction and authorisation to accounting and disbursement—will be conducted on a unified digital platform, ensuring timely, transparent, and hassle‑free service for pensioners without the need to visit government offices.

According to the Ministry of Communications, the pact was signed by Additional Controller General of Communication Accounts, G. Sandeep Kumar Goud, representing the Office of the Controller General of Communication Accounts under the Department of Telecommunications; the Chairman of Cochin Port Authority, Kasivisvanathan; and the Resident Commissioner of the Government of Goa, Shakil‑ul‑Rahman Rathore.

The Ministry explained that Sampann is a cloud‑based digital pension‑management system developed under the Digital India mission. The platform consolidates and automates the complete pension lifecycle, including approval, authorisation, accounting and payment, to reduce manual work and improve accuracy and speed.

Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that Sampann currently disburses an average of about ₹1,650 crore in pensions every month, aggregating to roughly ₹72,000 crore in payouts so far. “The idea is to move from a system‑centric model where citizens had to chase offices, to a citizen‑centric system where governance revolves around people,” he added.

Scindia congratulated the Goa Government and the Cochin Port Authority on joining the Sampann network and directed the India Post and Department of Telecommunications to develop a roadmap for integrating post‑department pensioners into the same platform. On the occasion, he also released a “Sampann Coffee‑Table Book” that highlights the role of digital public infrastructure in enabling transparent, efficient, and user‑friendly public services.

Controller General of Communication Accounts Vandana Gupta noted that pensioners do not belong to any one department or agency and must receive equitable, high‑quality service across the board. “It is with this principle that Sampann is being shared as a platform‑as‑a‑service with other pension‑disbursing institutions, State Governments and public‑sector bodies,” she said, underscoring the system’s role in bringing consistency and digital convenience to pension administration nationwide.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar