Grant of Ex-Gratia Payment to State Govt. Pensioners, 2020-2021
GOVERNMENT OF WEST BENGAL
FINANCE (AUDIT) DEPARTMENT
NABANNA, 325 SARAT CHATTERJEE ROAD
HOWRAH – 711102.
No. 1494-F(P2) Howrah, the 6th May, 2021.
MEMORANDUM
Sub: Grant of ex-gratia payment to the State Government Pensioners for the year 2020-2021.
The undersigned is directed by order of the Governor to say that in order to provide some relief to the State Government Pensioners during the ensuing festivals, the Governor has been pleased to decide that all State Government Pensioners including the holders of provisional pension who retired prior to 30-09-2020 and also the pensioners who retired or died after 30-09-2020 but prior to 01-09-2021 and whose basic pension plus Dearness Relief on pension as on 31st March 2021 did not exceed Rs. 31,000/- (Rupees Thirty One Thousand) only and are not eligible for ad-hoc bonus shall be paid an ex-gratia grant of Rs. 2,500/- (Rupees Two Thousand Five Hundred) only in lump per head.
2. The charge is debitable to the head “2071-Pension and other retirement Benefits-01 Civif-800-other Expenditure-NP-001-fund required for meeting other expenditure-V-04-Pension /Gratuities” during the current financial year.
3. The ex-gratia grant sanctioned herein will also be admissible to:-
i) The holders of family pension, ex-gratia family pension and ad-hoc family pension;
ii) Pensioners including widow pension holders) who draw their pension sanctioned under French Pension Rules;
iii) Holders of extra-ordinary pension; and
iv) Holders of ex-gratia pension.
The benefit will also be admissible to the pensioners of the undivided Government of Bengal and the pensioners of the erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) Government who migrated to West Bengal and are receiving pension under “Provisional Payment of Pension Scheme”.
4. The Ex-gratia grant sanctioned herein will not be admissible to the special categories of pensioners, such as
i) Pensioners who have migrated from Pakistan;
ii) Political Pensioners;
(ii) Special Pensioners;
iv) War Risk Pensioners;
(v) Pensioners governed by the All India Services Rules.
5. The benefit will also not be admissible to those who are entitled to ad-hoc bonus sanctioned by the State Government and those who are employed/ re-employed under any Public Undertakings/Statutory Bodies under the Government and are in receipt of bonus or ex-gratia payment in lieu thereof during the current financial year.
6. State Government pensioners who draw their pension through Public Sector Banks will get this ex-gratia grant through their respective Bank Account. The Principal Accountant General(A&E), West Bengal will issue an authority for this purpose to all such Banks under the Kolkata Payment Scheme immediately on receipt of this order so that the pensioners may draw the ex-gratia grant immediately to make their commitments for their festival. The Treasury Office will take appropriate steps for issue of cheque to the respective paying branches of the Banks and post Offices, so that the pensioners receiving pension through Banks and Money Order get the payment of ex-gratia immediately to meet their commitments for their festival. No authority of the Principal Accountant General(A&E), West Bengal will be required for this purpose.
7. Subject to Para 6 above, this order will also be applicable to those who are eligible to this ex-gratia grant but whose pension/family pension has not yet been sanctioned. In their cases and in the case of persons who are drawing provisional pension, this amount of ex-gratia will be drawn by the authority competent to draw provisional pension in the same manner as the amount of provisional pension is drawn by him. In their cases, the facts of payment of ex-gratia grant should be intimated to the Principal Accountant General(A&E), West Bengal at the time of forwarding their pension papers for final sanction of pension.
The benefit of ex-gratia grant of Rs. 2,500/- per head as has been sanctioned in this memorandum for the State Government Pensioners will also be allowed to the teaching and non-teaching Pensioners of State Aided Non-Government Educational Institutions and Pensioners of Panchayats, the Pensioners of Municipal Corporations/Municipalities/Local Bodies and other Organisations for whom Pension is authorized either by the Accountant General, West Bengal or the DPPG, West Bengal. In such cases the respective Administrative Department may sanction the benefit of ex-gratia payment @ Rs.2,500/- per head this year to the pensioners concerned under their control without making any further reference to Pension Branch of this Department.
The payment of ex-gratia as sanctioned hereinabove should be made before the festival of Id-Ul-Fitre of 2021 for the Muslim Pensioners/Family Pensioners and other than Muslim Pensioners/Family Pensioners the benefits should be disbursed in between 27th September, 2021 to 5th October, 2021.
Sd/- M. Pant
Principal Secretary to the
Government of West Bengal