Bengal govt to release 50 pc estimated DR arrears to pensioners in KMC area

Kolkata, Jul 7 (PTI) The West Bengal government on Tuesday announced that it will release 50 per cent of the Dearness Relief (DR) arrears to state government pensioners and family pensioners drawing their pension through banks in Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) area, aiming to expedite payments that have been delayed due to the non-availability of verified bank records. The Finance Department, in a notification issued by the Pension branch, said the decision has been taken as an interim relief measure while the government awaits validated details of past pension disbursements from concerned banks. "The government has decided to release 50 per cent of the estimated arrears of DR for the period from 2008 to 2019 to pensioners and family pensioners drawing their pension from different banks in the KMC area," the notification said. The delay in releasing the arrears was caused by the absence of historical pension disbursement records maintained by banks, it said. A senior state government official said the move was intended to ensure that pensioners are not made to wait any longer because of procedural delays. "The government has taken this step to provide immediate relief to pensioners while the verification process continues. Banks have also been instructed to complete the validation of records at the earliest so that the balance arrears can be released without unnecessary delay," the official told PTI. The notification said the estimated arrears would be calculated on the basis of data available with the Accountant General, West Bengal, the DR rates notified by the Finance Department during the ROPA 2009 period from April 1, 2008 to December 31, 2019, and the applicable All India Consumer Price Index-linked formula. To facilitate the process, the state government has developed a dedicated Bank Pension Management Portal under the West Bengal Integrated Financial Management System (WBiFMS). Banks have been directed to verify and update pensioners' records on the portal and immediately credit the admissible amount to their bank accounts. The government has also asked banks to furnish validated details of all pension disbursements made during the ROPA 2009 period so that the remaining DR arrears can be calculated and paid. The notification said the modalities for payment of the residual DR arrears would be announced separately. PTI SCH RG