The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions has released new guidelines to improve how grievances are handled for central government pensioners. These updated rules, effective from October 16, 2024, respond to requests from the Hon’ble Prime Minister and Cabinet Secretary to make the Centralized Pension Grievances Redress and Monitoring System (CPENGRAMS) more effective and user-friendly.
Key Changes in Grievance Handling
Enhanced Role of Grievance Redressal Officers (GROs)
The guidelines highlight the important role of Grievance Redressal Officers in managing pension-related complaints:
- Whole of Government Approach: If a GRO receives a complaint that isn’t related to their office, they must quickly forward it to the correct officer or send it back to the Nodal Public Grievance Officer for redirection. No complaint should be ignored just because it doesn’t belong to that office.
- Mandatory Closure Documentation: GROs cannot close a complaint without giving the applicant a final outcome. For money-related issues, they must provide details like Unique Transaction Reference (UTR) numbers. For other issues, relevant documents, such as letters or orders, must be uploaded on the portal.
Expanded Responsibilities of Nodal Public Grievance Officers
Nodal Public Grievance Officers now have more responsibilities to ensure grievances are managed effectively:
- Monthly Reviews: They must conduct monthly reviews of pension grievances to ensure they are resolved in a timely manner.
- Root Cause Analysis: They should analyze grievance trends and investigate the causes, focusing on improving people, policies, and procedures to prevent future issues.
Timelines for Resolving Grievances
The new guidelines stress the importance of resolving pension grievances quickly. Ministries and Departments are encouraged to handle complaints within 21 days, using technology and training to improve the skills of GROs. If more time is needed, they must provide an interim response explaining the delay and estimating when the issue will be resolved.
Appellate Mechanism
To enhance transparency, the guidelines introduce a new appellate process:
- Applicants can appeal against the closure of their grievance within 30 days.
- The authority must respond to the appeal within 30 days and provide a detailed explanation, along with all relevant documents.
Handling Physical Grievances
The guidelines also cover how to deal with physical complaints. Any grievances submitted in person must be uploaded to the CPENGRAMS portal to ensure proper tracking and quick resolution. For more details, users can check the Help section on the CPENGRAMS Portal.
Background
These updated guidelines come in response to directives from the Hon’ble Prime Minister during a meeting with government officials in June 2024. The focus has been on making the grievance redressal system more responsive and effective, showing the government’s commitment to improving the welfare of pensioners.
Conclusion
These revised guidelines mark a significant improvement in the pension grievance redressal process. By ensuring accountability and setting clear timelines, the government aims to provide pensioners with a smoother and more effective way to resolve their complaints.
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