PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
Following the order of the State Information Commission, the Social Welfare department has sent a proposal to the government to make amendments to the effect that any pension amount paid after the date of death of the beneficiary will be recovered by the department but the pension amount paid prior to the beneficiary’s death will be paid to the nominee.
This action directly addresses the ambiguity recently highlighted by the State Information Commission earlier this month. The commission had addressed a case where the department sought to recover money deposited before a beneficiary’s death. Existing government rules define recovery procedures for funds released after death but give no clear status to amounts already present in the account.
The issue arose from a complaint filed by Deepak Ali, son of the late Mehbooba Ali, a Dehradun resident. After his mother’s death, the department asked Ali to return installments credited before she passed away but he challenged the demand. He filed an RTI to secure the rules on withdrawing pre-death payments but the department failed to provide a specific rule after which, the commission intervened.
The commissioner Yogesh Bhatt noted the lack of clear rules and directed the department to seek clear instructions from higher authorities. The officials informed that the department will also hold a meeting on December 19 to properly discuss the matter and associated issues.
