Breaking

Showing posts with label Ex-Servicemen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ex-Servicemen. Show all posts

Friday, 28 April 2017

07:40

Issue of Pension Payment by Banks: New Checklist for audit of Systems and Controls for conduct of government banking

Issue of Pension Payment by Banks: New Checklist for audit of Systems and Controls for conduct of government banking

RESERVE BANK OF INDIA 
www.rbi.org.in

 RBI/2016-17/271                                  
 DGBA.GAD.No.2646/31.02.007/2016-17
                                                                                    April 7, 2017
All Agency Banks
Dear Sir/Madam,
Systems and Controls for conduct of government banking
Please refer to our Master Circulars DGBA.GAD.No.2/31.12.010/2015-16 dated July 1, 2015 on Conduct of Government Business by Agency Banks – Payment of Agency Commission and DGBA.GAD.No.H-1/31.05.001/2015-16 dated July 1, 2015 on Disbursement of Government Pension by Agency Banks that, inter alia, deal with Systems and Controls in agency banks for conduct of government banking.
In addition to existing instructions, agency banks may ensure that internal/concurrent audit at bank branches verifies whether government business is being conducted as per rules and regulations prescribed by government/RBI. Accordingly, the internal/concurrent audit at bank branches may also examine, among other things, various aspects of government banking such as agency commission claims and pension payments. A checklist may be provided to the inspecting officers/auditors, which may at a minimum include the items given in the Annex. Accordingly, Annex 2 of the Master Circular DGBA.GAD.No.H-1/31.05.001/2015-16 on Disbursement of Government Pension by Agency Banks dated July 1, 2015 stands withdrawn.

Yours faithfully,
(D. J. Babu)
Deputy General Manager
Annex
Checklist relating to government business for internal / concurrent audit
Part B: Pension related issues
Internal inspections should assess branch performance in servicing pensioner customers. In this regard, the following may be ensured:
A specific questionnaire covering all aspects of pension payment may be devised for use during inspection of pension paying branches.
Inspecting officers may also, during inspections, call up pensioners at random and enquire about their satisfaction with pension-related services.
A detailed check-list relating to pension payments/government business may be given by banks to internal auditors/inspectors in order to adhere to the recommendations of the Prabhakar Rao Committee, constituted by the Government of India, relating to pension payments/government business.
These include the following:
(a) Whether there is delay in payment of pension, revision of pension, revision in dearness relief etc.
(b) Whether the branch manager has structured interaction with a cross section of pensioners serviced at the branch on quarterly basis, where the number of pensioners of all governments and departments exceeds a fixed number, say, 100 or 200.
(c) Whether nominations have been obtained for all pension accounts.
(d) Whether pension accounts have been converted into joint accounts wherever applicable.
(e) Whether the bank branch has an effective complaint redressal mechanism and the complaints of pensioners are attended promptly and their grievances redressed expeditiously.
(f) Whether the pension is credited to pensioner’s account during the last four working days of the month except for the month of March for which pension is to be credited on or after first working day of April.
(g) Whether the pension paying branch obtains Life Certificate/ Non-employment certificate/ Employment Certificate from the pensioners in the month of November every year.
(h) Whether pension paying branches deduct income tax at source from pension payments wherever applicable.
(i) Whether paper tokens in acknowledgement of cheques presented are invariably given by the tax collecting branches.
(j) Whether the challans are stamped giving bank’s BSR code and Challan Identification Number (CIN) clearly.
(k) Whether the stamped challans are kept in the custody of bank’s staff and handed over to the concerned tax payer only on production of the paper token.

Wednesday, 12 April 2017

10:22

Issue of Pension Payment by Banks: New Checklist for audit of Systems and Controls for conduct of government banking

Issue of Pension Payment by Banks: New Checklist for audit of Systems and Controls for conduct of government banking

RESERVE BANK OF INDIA 

www.rbi.org.in

RBI/2016-17/271                                  

DGBA.GAD.No.2646/31.02.007/2016-17

April 7, 2017

All Agency Banks

Dear Sir/Madam,
Systems and Controls for conduct of government banking
Please refer to our Master Circulars DGBA.GAD.No.2/31.12.010/2015-16 dated July 1, 2015 on Conduct of Government Business by Agency Banks – Payment of Agency Commission and DGBA.GAD.No.H-1/31.05.001/2015-16 dated July 1, 2015 on Disbursement of Government Pension by Agency Banks that, inter alia, deal with Systems and Controls in agency banks for conduct of government banking.
In addition to existing instructions, agency banks may ensure that internal/concurrent audit at bank branches verifies whether government business is being conducted as per rules and regulations prescribed by government/RBI. Accordingly, the internal/concurrent audit at bank branches may also examine, among other things, various aspects of government banking such as agency commission claims and pension payments. A checklist may be provided to the inspecting officers/auditors, which may at a minimum include the items given in the Annex. Accordingly, Annex 2 of the Master Circular DGBA.GAD.No.H-1/31.05.001/2015-16 on Disbursement of Government Pension by Agency Banks dated July 1, 2015 stands withdrawn.
Yours faithfully,
(D. J. Babu)
Deputy General Manager

Annex
Checklist relating to government business for internal / concurrent audit
Part B: Pension related issues
Internal inspections should assess branch performance in servicing pensioner customers. In this regard, the following may be ensured:
A specific questionnaire covering all aspects of pension payment may be devised for use during inspection of pension paying branches.
Inspecting officers may also, during inspections, call up pensioners at random and enquire about their satisfaction with pension-related services.
A detailed check-list relating to pension payments/government business may be given by banks to internal auditors/inspectors in order to adhere to the recommendations of the Prabhakar Rao Committee, constituted by the Government of India, relating to pension payments/government business.
These include the following:
(a) Whether there is delay in payment of pension, revision of pension, revision in dearness relief etc.
(b) Whether the branch manager has structured interaction with a cross section of pensioners serviced at the branch on quarterly basis, where the number of pensioners of all governments and departments exceeds a fixed number, say, 100 or 200.
(c) Whether nominations have been obtained for all pension accounts.
(d) Whether pension accounts have been converted into joint accounts wherever applicable.
(e) Whether the bank branch has an effective complaint redressal mechanism and the complaints of pensioners are attended promptly and their grievances redressed expeditiously.
(f) Whether the pension is credited to pensioner’s account during the last four working days of the month except for the month of March for which pension is to be credited on or after first working day of April.
(g) Whether the pension paying branch obtains Life Certificate/ Non-employment certificate/ Employment Certificate from the pensioners in the month of November every year.
(h) Whether pension paying branches deduct income tax at source from pension payments wherever applicable.
(i) Whether paper tokens in acknowledgement of cheques presented are invariably given by the tax collecting branches.
(j) Whether the challans are stamped giving bank’s BSR code and Challan Identification Number (CIN) clearly.
(k) Whether the stamped challans are kept in the custody of bank’s staff and handed over to the concerned tax payer only on production of the paper token.

Signed Copy

Saturday, 5 September 2015

16:33

One Rank One Pension will be re-fixed for all pensioners retiring in the same rank and same length of service.-Government

One Rank One Pension will be re-fixed for all pensioners retiring in the same rank and same length of service.-Government

OROP arrears to be paid in four half-yearly instalments; all widows, including war widows, to be paid arrears in one instalment.

To begin with, OROP would be fixed on the basis of calendar year 2013, he said. Pension will be re-fixed for all pensioners retiring in the same rank and same length of service.

The government is considering appointing a committee under a judge to go into the issue of equalisation of pension, a leader of the ex-servicemen group fighting for One Rank One Pension said after a meeting with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.

Veterans react

It is good what govt has announced on OROP, we are satisfied, Major Gen (Retd) Satbir Singh said after Mr. Parrikar made an onnuncement on OROP.

"We do not accept the decision not to give OROP benefits to those who have taken voluntary retirement," Mr. Singh said.

Ex-servicemen however, disapproved of setting up of one-member judicial committee. "It should be under Defence minister and not given more than one month," Mr. Singh said.

They have sought clarifications on issues like pre-mature retirement benefits and averaging of pension. According to us, govt has only accepted one of our demands and rejected six, Mr. Singh said.

Pension equalisation, an issue

Maj Gen Satbir Singh (Retd), Chairman of Indian Ex-Servicemen said the government while accepting the concept of the OROP, was still insisting on pension revision every five years and that is why it was thinking of constituting a committee.

Mr. Singh said after the meeting that in that case a representative of the veterans and one from the services should also be in the committee. He said the committee should not take more than one month.

Ahead of government’s likely announcement of OROP, Mr. Singh said government has broadly accepted the concept of the scheme and that they will study the details after it is made public.

The delegation, he said, presented their views on the sticky issues including pension equalisation.

“Government has accepted the OROP concept broadly,” the Chairman of Indian Ex-Servicemen movement told reporters after the meeting.

'No junior should get more pension than senior'

He said it was conveyed to the Defence Minister that no junior should get more pension than senior and that there is nothing like Voluntary Retirement Service in defence forces.

Sounding a conciliatory note, Mr. Singh said the government has accepted 60 per cent of the demands of the ex—servicemen.

He, however, said the “bone of contention” — revision of pension — still remains.

Parrikar meets Amit Shah

After the meeting Mr. Parrikar met BJP president Amit Shah.

Later a BJP leader said all demands of the ex-servicemen have been accepted except the pension revision demand.

BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi, who was present at the party chief’s house, said government is close to announcing a solution that will cost the exchequer at least Rs 10,000 crore.

The ex-servicemen have been demanding that the pension revision should take place at least in every two years while government has proposed a five-year revision.

All about OROP:

1 Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar announced thedecision to implement the One Rank One Pension, w.e.f July 1, 2014.

2 OROP arrears to be paid in four half-yearly instalments; all widows, including war widows, to be paid arrears in one instalment.

3 The ex-servicemen, who have been agitating for the last 82 days, said they will not accept review of the pension after every five years.

4 It is understood that a draft proposal on OROP was circulated at a RSS meeting on Friday, which envisaged commencement of the scheme from July 2014, besides revision of pension every five years.

5 Veterans have opposed to excluding ex-servicemen, who had opted for pre-mature retirement, from the ambit of OROP.

6 Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar announced the setting up of a One member Judicial Committee, which will give its report on OROP in six months.

7 Veterans have rejected this committee, and instead demanded a committee under the Defence Minister which will include an ex-serviceman too.

8 To begin with, OROP would be fixed on the basis of calender year 2013.

9 Officials said the annual burden on the pension bill will be about Rs. 8,000 crore which would progressively go up with revision in pensions. The current pension bill of the defence ministry stands at Rs. 54,000 crore.

10 Close to 22 lakh retired servicemen and over six lakh war widows stand to be the immediate beneficiaries of the scheme.

Source :The Hindu