SRINAGAR, MAY 06: In a significant stride toward digitizing the pension sanctioning process for government employees, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today launched the Pension Suvidha Portal at the Civil Secretariat. The portal has been developed by the Finance Department, Jammu & Kashmir, in collaboration with the National Informatics Center (NIC) and the Principal Accountant General (A&E), J&K.
The launch event was attended by a host of dignitaries, including Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani, Additional Chief Secretary (Education) Shantmanu, ACS to CM Dheeraj Gupta, and Administrative Secretaries from various departments such as Finance, IT, Social Welfare, Forest, Agriculture, and Rural Development. Also present were senior officials from the AG’s office, J&K Bank, NIC, and the Directors of Finance and Accounts & Treasuries. Outstation officers joined the proceedings via video conferencing.
Formally inaugurating the portal, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah congratulated all stakeholders involved. “Whatever we can do to simplify the retirement process and post-retirement of our employees, I think that is a responsibility that lies on our shoulders,” he said. “Employees who have served J&K and its people for long years deserve a simplified process. And the more we do for our employees, the more we need to appreciate it.”
The Chief Minister also stressed the importance of making the annual verification process more pensioner-friendly. “Every year pensioners have to prove that they are still alive, submit various documents, and visit offices in person. So this initiative, I think, is something that all employees will appreciate,” he remarked.
Abdullah noted the portal’s inclusive design, highlighting that it also caters to ex-legislators. “My suggestion would be that together with the Assembly Secretariat, briefing material be sent out to all ex-legislators so they are aware of this change and how best to utilize it,” he added.
Acknowledging the bureaucratic challenges faced by employees nearing retirement, he said, “The last few months of service are often consumed by paperwork. With this initiative, I believe that process will be simplified. Now, going ahead, we must always ensure that employees get their dues on time.”
Touching on recurring concerns around disbursement delays, the Chief Minister said, “Timely payment of dues—such as GP fund—is a recurring concern. In the Finance Department, we are working closely to resolve these issues. Clearly, the initiative taken today is a welcome one.”
Earlier, Director General, Accounts & Treasuries, Fayaz Ahmad Lone, presented an overview of the Pension Suvidha Portal, which supports digitisation for 2.4 lakh pensioners under the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). According to Lone, data collection was conducted through multiple modes: 2,31,127 pensioners via treasury visits, 7,002 via home visits, 1,819 through video calls for those abroad, and 9,513 via postal correspondence.
The portal captures detailed information such as name, date of birth, service record, and photographs of pensioners. Lone noted that the system has helped identify and correct anomalies, including disbursements posthumously, duplicate dearness allowance payments, and premature stoppage of recoveries.
The streamlined eight-stage workflow involves: employee registration, application submission, DDO review, sanctioning by the Pension Authority, submission to the AG’s office, PPO authorization, treasury payment processing, and final case closure.
The portal facilitates involvement from all key stakeholders: employees, DDOs, Pension Authorities, the AG’s office, and treasuries. Pensioners can also access disbursement records, request revisions, and transfer pension accounts online.
Marking the occasion, the Chief Minister personally handed over a settled pension case to Ragubhir, a retired employee who superannuated on April 30.
Highlights of portal :
Early SMS and email alerts starting eight months before retirement
Online submission of pension applications and documents
Integration with JKHRMS and JKPaySys for seamless data flow
Electronic linkage with the AG’s office and J&K Bank
Real-time tracking of pension status and online KYC updates
Support for Jeevan Pramaan for life certificate submissions
