V Srinivas addresses Members of Indian Ex-Services League

Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare has taken a number of measures, including digitization of various pension related activities, for improving pensioners’ welfare. The department also takes steps to reach out to all pensioners through various modes and spread awareness about the initiatives of DoPPW, thus enabling all pensioners to use the benefits designed especially for them.

DoPPW has been holding awareness programs for pensioners in online mode as well as through physical meetings to dispense information and also to understand issues faced by pensioners as well as dwell on any suggestions forwarded by them. Under the Pensioners’ Portal, DoPPW has registered 50 Pensioners’ Associations across the country.

As part of the outreach program, DoPPW has commenced a series of meetings with the registered Pensioners’ Associations, online as well as physically, at regular intervals. One such meeting was held with Indian Ex-Services League, a registered Pensioners’ Association, for which Shri V Srinivas, Secretary (P&PW), Shri Sanjiv Narain Mathur, Additional Secretary, DoPPW and other officials from DoPPW visited the Association’s office at Chanakyapuri, Delhi on 14^th July, 2023.

During the interaction, Secretary (P&PW) apprised the Association members of the various initiatives taken by the department including holding of a Nationwide DLC Campaign, Nationwide Pension Adalats for on the spot resolution of grievances and Anubhav Awards. He informed members about CPENGRAMS, an online grievance registration portal of the department. He emphasized the importance of time bound and adequate resolution of grievances received by focusing on each pensioners’ case with empathy. He reiterated the important role of Pensioners’ Associations in this regard, advising that Pensioners’ Association, as an entity, should be a movement, adequately strengthened and in regular communication with the Government of India. He took a feedback from the association about their working and appreciated the structured functioning of the Association which has a membership of more than 4 lakh pensioners/ family pensioners and 27 Affiliated units across the country. He informed the participants about ANUBHAV Awards and ANUBHAV Awardees speak programs of the department. He spoke about the bravery of the martyrs from the Defence Services and their families and invited the participants to share their experiences as seasoned soldiers on the ANUBHAV Awardees Speak platform.

Shri Sanjiv Narain Mathur, Additional Secretary, DoPPW, shared the initiative of the department related to holding of a Nationwide DLC Campaign to enable reachout to pensioners in the remotest corners, with special emphasis on hospitalized and incapacitated pensioners. He informed that the previous Nationwide DLC Campaign held in November 2022, at 37 locations across the country had enabled generation of more than 35 lakh DLCs of Central Government pensioners and a similar Campaign is proposed to be held in November 2023 at 100 locations, in which Pensioners’ Associations would be actively involved, being an extended arm of the department.

Col Ranbir Singh (Retd.), General Secretary, Indian Ex-Services League, gave a detailed presentation about the structure of the Association and the activities undertaken by them which included dissemination of pension order, regular meetings with the members, vocational training/ resettlement/ rehabilitation courses of ex-serviceman and resolution of their grievances by taking up the same with the concerned offices. He informed the various modes of disseminating information and interacting with members through WhatApp groups, Newsletters, the Association’s website and various Social Media platforms. He assured complete support and participation in all initiatives of DoPPW including the proposed Nationwide DLC Campaign.