Federal Ombudsman Syed Tahir Shahbaz has directed the Controller General of Accounts and AGPR to set up E-pension system on an early date and connect all federal government departments with this system. He also directed to the representatives of ministries and departments to initiate pension cases 15 months prior to the date of superannuation of an employee. He chaired a high-level meeting to simplify the pension system through automated system in the federal government departments. The representatives of all ministries, departments, AGPR and Controller General of Accounts attended the meeting.
Deputy Accountant General of AGPR Sana Riaz gave a detailed briefing on E-Pension/automation system and informed that 94 percent pension of gazetted officers and 80 percent of non-gazetted pensioner had been channelised through automated pension system and all of them have been receiving their pension through their accounts from all scheduled banks.
He also informed that 9,856 pension cases were received in AGPR in 2018, out of which 9,845 cases have been resolved. Under the orders of Wafaqi Mohtasib, Pension Cells have already been established in all departments and which should initiate a case of pension of an employee, one year prior to his/her date of retirement. The AGPR had also been directed to finalise the case of pension of an employee one month's prior to his retirement date.
The representative of AGPR also informed that a new policy is being formulated under which a retiring employee would automatically start receiving 65% of his basic pay as anticipatory pension, if his pension papers have not been finalised by the department. She also informed focal persons to deal pension cases have already been nominated by all the ministries and departments.
She informed that under E-pension system, the data of all departments would automatically inter-connect with the E-system of AGPR and their complete information would be available with the AGPR. She said that in future under one budget allocation agency, the transfer of GP fund, etc, would not be required from other departments and would automatically accumulate in the account of an employee while serving other departments.
The Ombudsman ordered the AGPR to provide details and reasons of pending pension cases beyond 30 days. Syed Tahir Shahbaz also ordered the Controller General of Accounts to make arrangements to connect the data of provincial Accountant Generals with the E-Pension System of AGPR. The ombudsman ordered that this E-Pension System would also be replicated in all provinces.