Project ‘SANGAM’. The CGDA, Shri Nand Kishore recently launched a software project ‘SANGAM’ for defence pensioners. It will facilitate issuance of corrigendum pension payment orders. This will address the demand from the ex-servicemen for issue of individual corrigendum pension payment order consequent to implementation of recommendations of Sixth Central Pay Commission (6th CPC). This software project is one step forward from the project ‘SUVIGYA’ which was launched in October last year and is very popular among defence pensioners. The pension payment orders to be issued using ‘SANGAM’ software will be a special corrigendum pension payment system which will contain all the basic details of original pension payment order. It will also have details of family pension, disability pension and any other type of pension available to a pensioner. The new corrigendum pension payment order is unique in the sense that it gives new ID to each pensioner which will be helpful in readily accessing all data relating to a pensioner. http://pcdapensions.in/ main Rationalization of casualty Pensionary Awards for the Armed Forces Officers and JCOs/OR invalided out from service prior to 1.1.1996: Extension of benefit of broad banding of percentage of disability/war injury.
BACK GROUND
Reference: GOI, MOD letter No. 12(16)/2009/D(Pen/Policy) dated 15.09.2014 and PCDA(Pen) Allahabad Circular No. 429 dated 04.03.2010. Consequent upon issue of letter No.1 (2)/97/D (Pen-C) dated 31.01.2001 the benefit of Broad Banding i.e. Rounding of Disability, 50% (for disability less than 50%) and 75% (for disability from 50% to 75%) and 100% (for disability from 76% to 100%) provision has been made for those pensioners who have been invalided out from the service on medical ground attributable to or aggravated by military service on or after 01.01.1996. The demand of this benefit for Pre-96 Defence pensioners was pending with the Govt. which had been considered by Cabinet Secretary Committee and recommended for extension of this benefit to Armed Forces Officers and JCOs/OR who were invalided out of service prior to 01.01.1996 and were in receipt of disability/ war injury pension as on 01.07.2009. The Govt. had accepted the above said recommendations and issued order vide MOD letter No. 10(01)/D(Pen/Policy)/2009/Vol-II dated 19.01.2010
New Provision in Broad Banding
Now in partial modification of above said GOI, MOD letter dated 19.01.2010, the Government vide MOD letter No. 12(16)/2009/D(Pen/Policy) dated 15.09.2014 has allowed the benefit of broad banding of percentage of disability/ war injury w.e.f. 01.01.1996 to Armed Forces Officers and JCOs/OR pensioners who were invalided out of service prior to 1.1.1996 and were in receipt of disability element/ war injury element as on 1.1.1996. In such cases, where the pensioner was not in receipt of disability element as on 1.1.1996 but became entitled at a later stage due to reassessment of disability more than 20%, this benefit shall also be allowed from the same date i.e. from the date of reassessment.
Affected cases
With effect from 01.01.1996, the concept of broad banding of percentage of disability/ war injury, as provided in Para 7.2 of MOD letter dated 31.01.2001 quoted above, shall be extended to Armed Forces Officers and PBOR who were invalided out of service prior to 01.01.1996 and are in receipt of disability/ war injury pensions as on 01.01.1996. In such cases where the pensioner was not in receipt of disability element as on 01.01.1996, but became entitled at later stage due to re- assessment of disability more than 20%, this benefit shall be allowed from the same date i.e. from the date of reassessment.
For those cases where the pensioners were in receipt of disability element/ war injury element as on 1.1.1996 but the same was discontinued at a later stage due to reassessment of disability as less than 20%, the disability element/ war injury element shall be discontinued from the later date as hither-to-fore. However, in those Pre 1.1.1996 cases where the disability element/ war injury element was not allowed for disability being accepted as less than 20% at initial stage or subsequent stage on reassessment of disability, the same will continue to be disallowed and such cases will not be re-opened. PCDA (Pension) Allahabad Circular No. 529 dated 13.10.2014 refers