The central government has introduced an online monitoring system that significantly reduces complaint resolution times for pensioners and simplifies the submission of digital life certificates, marking a major step towards streamlined pension administration.
Central government pensioners are seeing faster handling of complaints after the rollout of an online monitoring system that, according to the government, has cut the average disposal time to 21 days. Jitendra Singh, the minister of state for personnel, told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply on Thursday that the Centralised Pension Grievances Redress and Monitoring System, known as CPENGRAMS, now allows pension-related complaints to be filed and tracked online, reducing the need for repeated visits to offices. The minister said the system has also strengthened transparency and made officials more accountable.
The official CPENGRAMS portal describes the service as a central platform created by the Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare to speed up grievance handling and monitor progress. Pensioners can register complaints, check the status of their cases and, if needed, appeal a resolution they are unhappy with. The department says the aim is to ensure problems are resolved in a timely manner and that ministries and departments stay within prescribed deadlines.
The government has also pushed ahead with digital life certificates, a separate but closely linked service under the Jeevan Pramaan system. According to the official government service listing, pensioners can generate and submit biometric-enabled digital life certificates online using Aadhaar-based authentication, removing the need to appear in person at banks or pension offices. The process is intended to reduce disruption to pension payments and make compliance easier for older pensioners.
The move towards digital processing has been paired with SMS alerts that tell pensioners when their life certificate has been submitted and when the record has been updated. Business Standard reported that some pensioners can also use doorstep banking or India Post Payment Bank services to complete the process from home. Together, these measures reflect a broader shift in the pension system towards quicker service, lighter paperwork and less dependence on in-person office visits.
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