INDIAN RAILWAYS INSTITUTE OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
All about Railway Pension
Module 4
Niketan Sahoo
Sr. AFA (Pension), Western Railway
Railway Pension system :
its digital interfaces
e-Scrolls
and
e-
Reconciliation Virtual
Retireme
HRMS
nt
PPO data Function e-PPO
view [My
Accounts]
--ARPAN--
e-Payment
of
Smart Indian railway Settlement
Health Pension/ dues
Card settlement
[UMID/ NEFT/RTGS
CTSE]
Net
Online Banking
Grievances [Pension
Handling A/C]
-NIVARAN-
On-line Jeevan
suggestions/ On-line Praman
feed backs Settlement
-ANUBHAV- process
[IPAS]
2
Advanced Railway Pension Access Network
(ARPAN)
ARPAN is:
• A web based portal for all pension related activities on a single platform.
• A repository for all pension related information
• Has interface with Railways, banks and pensioners.
• A single point centralised database of all IR pensioners ( Nodal Railway: WR )
• A uniform and standardized application for revision, reconciliation and
grievance handling.
• Enables instant data sharing with Railway Board, Central Government, banks,
and other agencies as and when needed.
• Data Sharing : Integrated with IPAS,UMID,CTSE and CPPCs.
• The platform facilitates pensioner and users to view PPO details any time
anywhere.
• Fetches pass book details as is integrated with e-scrolls.
3
ARPAN : Modules
Settlement module : for revision of post-2016 (pre IPAS) cases as well as fresh cases of a few
production units.
Revision module : for revision of pre-2016 PPOs (More than 12.50 Lakh PPOs revised so far)
Reconciliation module: for reconciliation of eScrolls with master data (auto fetching of
mismatched records)
Grievance management module : for registration, tracking, and disposal of both physical
and online complaints.
Re-grant family pension module : For fresh authorization of family pension to dependent
family members (unmarried/widow/divorced daughters and disabled children of deceased
pensioner)
4
Integrated Payroll and Accounting System (IPAS)
IPAS holds detailed payroll data of IR’s serving employees along with their personal and service details. Settlement Module
inside IPAS pulls payroll and employee details data for settlement and PPO processing with scope for minimum data entry
by module users.
Settlement Module : how does it work?
1. Auto calculates all settlement and pensionary benefits,
2. Generates bills (DCRG, Commutation, Leave Encashment, GIES) with pre-assigned bank details.
3. Integrates Internal Check, Bill Passing, Books and Centralised Integrated Payment system modules.
PPO Module : how does it work?
4. PPO : carries all pension related information in PDF format, used for both physical and digital PPOs.
5. ePPO : takes care of digital signing and online data pushing to concerned bank.
Data pushing to ARPAN : This utility is used for updating IR’s Centralised Pension database.
Revision Module : Used in events of (i) difference of Settlement dues (ii) Revised PPO
Data pushing to UMID portal for UMID card generation.
MIS : Queries and Reports
5
E-PPO, benefits of
• Enables seamless data transmission to bank database through SFTP.
• Enables CPPCs to create readymade database without manual intervention.
• Facilitates faster commencement of pension by banks (ePPO is embedded with all
details).
• Free from data tampering with enforcement of multi level security.
• Saves time and despatch cost, reduces human movement between HQs and Units.
• Saves stationery, creates carbon credit.
• Being a digital document, can be stored in cloud in Digi Locker.
• Ensures greater responsibility and accountability at unit level.
Physical PPO: process
Physical Physical Receipt KYC KYC Avg.
submissi and data verification Documentatio verification 3-4
despatch
on to HQ entry with branch n by with branch Mont
to bank
and pensioner and hs
by dak
activation activation
e-PPO: process
ZONAL HQ BANK-CPPC
DIVISION/W&S HQ verification Data Pension Max 1
e-PPO DSC SIGNED DSC signed capture & Payment Month
AND FORWARED TO and processing
HQ sent to Bank
6
Unique Medical Identity Card (UMID)
A web and mobile based application for e-validation of identity of Railway Medical beneficiaries in
which:
• Registration, approval and card generation are done completely on the electronic platform
• End-to-End Solution for Medical Identity with rules integration and built-in validation
• Interface with Referral Hospitals plausible for authentication through Biometrics.
• interface with hospitals tied up under CSTE scheme
• Auto conversion of Employee Card to Pensioners Card on retirement.
• Self Service with capturing of all eligibility documents including Aadhaar & RELHS.
• Dispenses with manual Medical and Pensioner’s Identity Cards
• Standardised Numbering system.
• Helpful for easy accessibility for availing Health facilities for employee/retiree, family.
• Aims at complete automation and online authentication of IR’s medical beneficiaries
• Prevents possibility of fraudulent and bogus claims.
• Enables online grievance handling from registered applicants and card holders.
• An effective and informative portal for benefits of lakhs of pensioners about Health benefits.
7
Cashless Treatment Scheme in Emergencies (CTSE)
• Railway provides comprehensive medical facilities to its pensioners through its own hospitals/dispensaries.
However, a pensioner may require emergency hospitalisation when away from the nearest railway hospital.
• To overcome this problem, CTSE was introduced.
• The empanelled hospital (private/semi private/Hi-Tech hospital ) shall give necessary treatment to railway
pensioner and dependent family members in emergency and raise the bill directly to Railway authorities.
• Railway has tied up with M/S UTIITSL for implementing the scheme across zonal railways/PUs.
• CTSE Application virtually integrates Railways, Pensioners( smart card holders) and Empaneled Hospitals.
• The entire process moves on an online platform with issue of System validated CTSE smart cards.
• This facility is in addition to facilities covered under RELHS.
• A one time fee to join CTSE per family is as under:
Private Ward: Rs.30,000/-
Semi-Private Ward: Rs.15000
General Ward: Rs.6000/-
• The Scheme was initially rolled out for empaneled hospital in four metro cities (Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and
Chennai), subsequently extended to other cities.
8
Retired Employees’ Liberalised Health Scheme (RELHS)
1 RELHS 97 provides the following medical facilities to a retired employee and family :
• Medical treatment : OPD / Hospitalization
• Ambulance services
• Home Visit
• Reimbursement of claims for treatment in government or recognized non railway hospitals.
2 RELHS Identity card can also be issued from the division issuing post retirement passes.
3 Eligibility Criteria to become member of RELHS:
• Superannuation irrespective of length of Qualifying Service.
• Other than superannuation cases : minimum 20 years of Qualifying Service.
• Death case : Family/dependents as per Pass Rules.
• Not open to railway servants who have resigned/been dismissed from service.
4 RELHS is interfaced with other utilities, namely, UMID, CTSE and Fixed Medical Allowance.
9
RELHS
RELHS 97 subscription rates as per 7 th CPC recommendations with effect from 23-02-2017:
In case pensioners retired prior to 2016, the rate of subscription is double of the revised pension/family
pension.
Superannuated NPS employees/families of deceased NPS employees are also eligible for RELHS 97.
10
Fixed Medical Allowance (FMA)
• Pensioners/family pensioners residing beyond 2.5 kms from nearest Railway hospital/dispensary are
eligible for this benefit.
• The retiring employee/pensioner needs to exercise necessary option/undertaking for FMA stating
his/her place of residence, distance from hospital.
• The applicant must be eligible for RELHS-97 even though actual enrollment under RELHS is not
required.
• Pensioner opting for FMA is not eligible for OPD facility from railway hospital/dispensary, except for
chronic disease patients.
• FMA @ Rs1000 per month is paid as a separate element along with monthly pension/family pension
by Pension Disbursing Agencies (banks).
• No Dearness Relief payable on FMA.
• Family Pensioner appointed on compassionate ground is not eligible for FMA, being already covered
under Railway Medical Facility as an employee.
• Endorsement regarding eligibility for Fixed Medical Allowance is to be made in PPO.
• Necessary endorsement “Not entitled for OPD” is also to be made in RELHS Card.
• In case of change of Residence, Pensioner is allowed to change his/her option for FMA.
11
National Pension system (NPS)
• Government employees appointed on or after 01-01-2004 are covered under NPS.
• NPS is governed by Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) and managed
by National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL).
• Every NPS subscriber is issued a twelve digit unique number, Permanent Retirement Account
Number (PRAN).
• The NPS scheme allows subscribers to contribute regularly into a pension account during their
working life. The fund so invested in is subject to investment in Debt/Equity Market. Its
accumulated value is called a corpus.
• On retirement, subscribers may withdraw a part of corpus lumpsum and use remaining corpus to
buy an annuity to secure a regular income after retirement. If the subscriber dies before 60 years,
the entire accumulated wealth is payable to the nominee/legal heir of the subscriber.
12
NPS : Employees’ monthly contribution towards the fund is @ 10% of salary with matching
contribution paid by government. With effect from 1/4/2019, employer’s contribution rate
has been enhanced to 14%.
NPS is also open to general public since 2009. Any Indian citizen aged 18 to 60 years may
join NPS with contribution @ Rs500 per month and Rs.12000 per annum.
The scheme offers two accounts, Tier I and Tier II. Tier I is a mandatory account, Tier II
voluntary. NPS subscriber has flexibility to choose the investment option, fund manager,
annuity service provider, annuity option.
Tier I contribution is eligible for additional tax deduction benefit of up to Rs 50,000 under
section 80CCD (1B) over and above Rs.1,50,000 under section 80C. Withdrawals are
restricted and subject to terms and conditions.
NPS is portable in nature and moves along with the subscriber in case of change of job or
organization till the age of 60.
13
NPS : options, tiers, choices
Money invested in NPS is managed by PFRDA through registered
Pension Fund managers. The scheme offers two choices:
• Active choice : This allows the investor to decide how money should
be invested in different assets, and
• Auto choice : This is a default option in which money is invested
automatically in line with the subscriber’s age profile.
14
Retirement/death/disability benefits under NPS
As per directives issued by the Department of Pension and Pensioners' Welfare, benefit of retirement
gratuity/death gratuity has been extended to government employees covered under NPS on same terms and
conditions as are applicable under Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972. Accordingly,
• DCRG and Leave Encashment become payable to employee on superannuation retirement.
• Lump-sum payment and annuity pension under NPS are paid to employee after retirement.
• On superannuation at least 60% of the employee’s accumulated pension corpus shall be mandatorily
utilized for purchase of annuity while remaining 40% will be paid to the subscriber as a lumpsum amount.
• On voluntary retirement at least 80% of the employee’s accumulated pension corpus shall mandatorily be
utilized for purchase of annuity while remaining 20% will be paid to the subscriber as a lump sum
amount.
15
Retirement/death/disability benefits under NPS contd…
In case of employee’s death in service, benefits allowed are :
1. DCRG,
2. Leave Encashment, and
3. Family Pension.
Eligible family member (nominee) needs to exercise the option:
to receive lumpsum accumulated corpus from NSDL, or
to receive regular Family Pension in lieu of accumulated corpus.
Monthly Pension is payable by Railways directly to beneficiary account through NEFT, not through
banks like in case of IR’s regular pensioners.
In case of employee’s death, Government also allows the family the option to switch over by
refunding corpus received by the beneficiary from NSDL along with interest thereon .
16
Thank You
17
