New Agenda Items of the 31st SCOVA meeting & Report of 30th SCOVA meeting

42/03/2019-P&PW (D)
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, P.G and Pensions
Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare

3rd Floor, Lok Nayak Bhawan,
Khan Market, New Delhi-110003

Date: 03rd Sept, 2019

To

All the Pensioners Associations included in SCOVA
included vide Resolution dated 31.01.2018

Subject: Action Taken Report on the minutes of the 30th SCOVA meeting and New Agenda Items of the 31st SCOVA meeting -reg

Please find enclosed herewith Action Taken Report on the minutes of the 30th SCOVA meeting held on 23.03.2018 and a list of New Agenda Items of 31st SCOVA meeting for your kind perusal.

Encl: as above

(Charanjit Taneja)
Under Secretary to the Govt. of India

S.No	Issue	Gist of discussion held during the last SCOVA meeting	Action Taken Report
1	Item No. 5(i) of the 30th SCOVA minutes	CGDA informed that out of total 1,39,504 Air Force Pensioners, 76,591 were identified as pre-2006 pensioners. Revised authority of 69,595 has been issued. 6996 cases are pending due to non-matching of records provided by PDAs.
	Revision of PPOs of Pre-2006 Air Force pensioners.	The Air Force Association informed that the claim of CGDA that there are only 1,39,504 Air Force Pensioners is incorrect. It was brought out by Secretary, Air Force Association that in March 2017, the Raksha Mantri while giving an answer to Lok Sabha Starred question had indicated the figure as 2,05,942. Further, in Feb, 2018, The JCDA(AF) has shown the figure as 2,60,895 Air Force Pensioners in an excel sheet marked as “CPPC wise, no. of pensioner- Airforce” and sent to Directorate of Air Veterans (DAV) Air HQ. As regards the number of pre-06 Air Force Pensioners for whom Corrigendum PPOs have not been issued, the number is close to 1,00,000 and not 6,996 as stated by CGDA	CGDA It is intimated that with the issue of MOD letter dated 17.10.2018 regarding revision of pension of pre-2016 pensioners/family pensioners in implementation of Govt. decision on recommendations of the 7th CPC on notional pay fixation method, Corrigendum PPOs containing updated entitlement are being issued to all pensioners and left over cases of pre- 2006 Air Force pensioners under Project Sangam will also be covered. There may be no relevance of issuance of Sangam PPOs of left over cases at this stage.
		CGDA was requested to reconcile the figures in consultation with Directorate of Air Veterans, Air HQ and issue revised authority and also take urgent action to identify the 6996 cases of pensioners. CGDA was asked to fix a target of 3 months for completion of this activity. (Action: CGDA)
2	Item no. 5(ii) of the 30th SCOVA minutes	Ministry of Health & FW informed that, EFC Memo regarding finalization of Health Insurance Scheme was pending with Department of Expenditure. Ministry of Health was advised to follow up the matter with Department of Expenditure for taking a final decision in this regard.	Ministry of Health The final EFC Memo regarding finalization of the proposed Health Insurance Scheme for Central Government Employees and Pensioners was forwarded for appraisal of Expenditure Finance Committee. The Ministry is pursuing the matter with Department of Expenditure.
	Health Insurance Scheme for pensioners including those residing in Non-CGHS area	(Action: Ministry of Health and Department of Expenditure)
3	Item no. 5(v) of the 30th SCOVA minutes	Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed that a comprehensive proposal for merger of all postal dispensaries in CGHS has been under examination in consultation with Department of Posts. This involves the issue of filling up of vacant posts in P&T dispensaries. The matter will be referred to Department of Expenditure for their approval and the process is likely to be completed in 3 months time. (Action: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare)	Ministry of Health and Family WelfareOrders have been issued by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare vide OM dated 21.12.2018 for merger of all P&T dispensaries with CGHS.
4	Item no. 5(vi) of the 30th SCOVA minutes	In order to address the grievance of the employees who retired between 01.10.2000 to 31.07.2001, the Department  of Pension & Pensioners Welfare had suggested a formula so that these employees do have to suffer on account of fixation of their pension in IDA scale on retirement from BSNL. DOT had referred the matter to Department of Expenditure for their approval. Department of Expenditure sought financial implications on the proposal. DoT was advised by Department of Expenditure to compile the information and send the same to Department of Expenditure.	DoT As regards the formula suggested by Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare, opinion/views of Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) have been sought on 19.11.2018 on the matter whether any other similar case of anomaly of pension has been reported by any other Ministry and how the anomaly was resolved in that case. Reminder sent on 25.06.2019 and reply is still awaited from DPE.
	Anomaly in fixation of pension of DoT employees who were absorbed in BSNL and retired between 01.10.2000 and 30.07.2001	DoT also informed that Hon’ble CAT in its order dated 16.12.2016 allowed the petition by some BSNL absorbee pensioners who retired during 01.10.2000 and 30.07.2001 for fixation of a pension at much higher rate. DoT filed a Writ Petition against CAT order which is still pending.
		(Action: DoT, Department of Expenditure)	Regarding the court case, a WP(C) No. 10019/2017 has been filed in the Delhi High Court and the Hon’ble High Court has directed that no coercive steps shall be taken for implementing the judgement dated 16.12.2016 of Hon’ble CAT. The Delhi High Court in its order dated 08.02.2019 ordered that both the counsels shall prepare a common convenience volume of documents that they wish to rely on. Next date of hearing is 08.01.2020.
			Department of Expenditure The compiled information as sought by Department of Expenditure is still pending from DoT.
5	Item no. 5(vii) of the 30th SCOVA minutes  Extension of benefits of upgraded Grade pay to pre- 2006 retirees of S-12 grade (Issue of grant of grade pay of Rs. 4600/- instead of Rs. 4200/-)	Dir(PP), DoPPW informed that a proposal for extending the benefit of Grade Pay of 4600/- for revision of pension to all pre-2006 pensioners who retired from pre-revised pay- scale of Rs. 6500-10,500/o was earlier referred to Department of Expenditure. However, the proposal was not agreed to by Deptt. of Expenditure. The matter was again referred to Department of Expenditure on 22.02.2018 and was requested to expedite their decision in the matter (Action: DoPPW)	DoPPW After the approval of Department of Expenditure, DoPPW has issued orders dated 04.01.2019 and 09.07.2019 in this regard.
6	Item no. 5(viii) of the 30th SCOVA minutes	Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed that the proposal has been agreed to by Surveyor General of India and the matter is being examined in consultation with M/o Science and Technology. A Committee comprising officers of Survey of India and Directorate of General of CGHS to sort out the issue. Ministry of Health informed that decision is likely to be taken in a month’s time.	Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
	Merger of Survey of India Dispensary at Dehradun in CGHS on the same line as P&T	(Action: Ministry of Health and FW)	Ministry of Health and Family Welfare have issued orders dated 22.10.2018 in this regard.
7	Item no. 5(ix) of the 30th SCOVA minutes	Ministry of Railways vide letter 04.05.2017 issued instructions to provisionally stop recovery from the pensioners till further advise from Railway Board. Ministry of Railways informed that Department of Expenditure has desired certain information which is being collected from zonal Railways and production units. The matter will be re- submitted to Deptt. of Expenditure for waiver of recovery.	Ministry of Railways
	Stoppage of recovery of wrongful/excess payments from Railways Pensioners	Some Associations mentioned that the recovery was still continuing. The Pensioners Associations were requested to provide details of cases where instructions dated 04.05.2017 have not been implemented. Ministry of Railways was requested to expedite the final decision on the issue of recoveries in consultation with Department of Expenditure. (Action: Ministry of Railways)	The complete details of overpayments and recoveries is required to be compiled before sending the case to D/o Expenditure to seek their approval for waiver of recoveries made due to payment of excess pension. However, details from 6 Zonal Railways/PUs is still awaited. As regards continued recovery after 04.05.2017, Only NF Railway Pensioners Association has forwarded a case to Ministry of Railways.

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