STATE TIMES NEWS
NEW DELHI: Union Minister, Dr Jitendra Singh on Wednesday released a book and it’s e-Version on 8 Years of Administrative and Pension reforms (2014-2022) .
Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said, eight years of administrative and pension reforms under Prime Minister Narendra Modi are aimed at social transformation.
Delivering the inaugural address at a webinar on Administrative Reforms and Pension Reforms (2014-2022) in New Delhi, Dr Jitendra Singh said, large scale use of technology and integration approach are the twin pillars of both the revolutionary Governance and Pension Reforms carried out in the last eight years.
Dwelling on Pension Reforms, Dr Jitendra Singh said, ever since Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, the Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare had introduced a number of revolutionary reforms including relaxation in the provision of Family Pension for divorced daughters and Divyangs, introduction of Face Recognition Technology through mobile app for ease in submitting Life Certificate by elderly pensioners, Electronic Pension Pay Order, assistance from Postal Department to facilitate pension process etc.
He said, moreover steps like extension of Family Pension to differently abled child of a deceased Government employee/Pensioner or giving a major hike in the Family Pension emoluments for Divyang children of a deceased government servant/pensioner are not only pension reforms but these are social reforms having wide implications. Dr Jitendra Singh also informed that at the behest of the Prime Minister, the Department also started a portal entitled “Anubhav” to show-case the experiences in Government of retiring officials which has now become a huge resource base for us.
On Administrative Reforms, Dr Jitendra Singh listed out several out of box ideas like abolishing the century old colonial practice of attestation of documents by a gazetted officer and replacing it by self-attestation, doing away with interview for Group-B (Non- Gazetted) and Group – C posts in the Central Government since 2016, three month Central stint for fresh IAS officers as Assistant Secretary, change in the nature of PM Excellence Award and abolition of around 1450 rules, which have become obsolete. The Minister also released an e-Book on 8 Years’ Achievements of Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare and that of DARPG on the occasion.
