e-Pension: Changing the old way -Governance Now

e-Pension: Changing the old way

This e-governance project by the Himachal Pradesh government involves a complete overhaul in the pension disbursement system.

Brajesh Kumar | January 26, 2010

Pankaj Sharma, a beneficiary of the e-Pension scheme

Solan: e-Pension is one of the many successful e-governance projects rolled out by the Himachal Pradesh government in last few years. Launched in August 2006, it involves a complete overhaul in the pension disbursement system for pensioners.

The web interface enables the Himachal Pradesh government pensioners to know the status and details of their monthly pension through internet where complete details of one’s pension for last one year are available.

The old system of disbursement of pension through treasuries and the banks involved lot of data entries, which was difficult to maintain. The pensioners too had difficulty in travelling to the district headquarters if they had any make any query regarding any change in the pension scheme. “It was also felt that the old system of pension disbursement was out of tune with the present e-governance age,” said Sanjeev Kumar, a National Informatics Centre (NIC) officer at the Solan NIC office.

In order to overhaul the old system, computerization of all the records related to the pension disbursement was undertaken in a major way in 2005. The pilot project was started in Solan district in early 2006 and thereafter rolled in the entire state in August the same year.

Under the new system, every pensioner is able to draw his pension through a bank branch which had been designated as Pension Disbursement Authorities (PDAs) and no cash disbursal is carried by the treasuries.

The pensioners are also getting break-up of twelve months on the internet and their grievances are also being redressed through email facilities. The banks have also been directed to disburse the pension on first day of every month.

Pankaj Sharma, 60, retired from the state irrigation department, wanted to know the changes the Himachal government had initiated in the pension scheme and the amount accrued because of the scheme. Earlier, he would have to travel from his home in Solan to the district headquarters located about 20 km away. “Today all I needed to do was login to the website, feed in my pension account number and get all the information,” he told Governance Now.

The Himachal government was awarded the Golden Icon award under Professional-Innovative Operations & Best Practices category in the 9th National e-Governance Awards held by the Department of Information Technology in 2006.

Comments

Other News

`Justice, liberty, equality and fraternity are the soul of our Constitution`

The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, addressed Members of both Houses of Parliament in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan on Wednesday, as the nation celebrated the 11th Samvidhan Divas with great fervour and enthusiasm. Vice-President of India and Chairman, Rajya Sabha, C. P. Radhakrishnan also addres

`Our Ram connects not through differences, but through emotions`

Marking a momentous occasion in the nation’s socio-cultural and spiritual landscape, PM Narendra Modi ceremonially hoisted a saffron flag on the Shikhar of the sacred Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday. The Dhwajarohan Utsav symbolises the completion

Rethinking policy framework to address animal-human conflict and animal welfare

Animal welfare requires as much a structured policy approach as do other sectors in India. Conflict that exists today is due to lack of an integrated policy approach which in turn exacerbates the conflict and instigates public health crises. The Indian Constitution already recognises the importance of anim

Mobile phones in classroom: redirect, not eliminate

In this era of AI and classrooms filled with students glued to their cellphones, there is a need to focus on redirecting, but not eliminating, the distraction. While there is no doubt that we need to go back to the older ways of teaching such as taking oral viva exams, practicing ‘sthithprajana&rsquo

Four Labour Codes come into effect to simplify, streamline labour laws

Four Labour Codes - the Code on Wages, 2019, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Code on Social Security, 2020 and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 have come into effect , rationalising 29 existing labour laws. By modernising labour regulations, enhancing workers` welf

Governance as ‘cyborg’: Rethinking AI rules through philosophical lens

In the world of science fiction, the cyborg, a hybrid of human and machine, often evokes fascination and fear. However, American scholar Donna Haraway conceptualises cyborg as more than a futuristic body; it is a philosophical lens, a way of thinking about identity, agency, and responsibility in a world wh