The Nagaland Government has acknowledged recurring delays in the settlement of pension, gratuity, GPF/NPS and other retirement benefits of retiring government employees, citing procedural lapses, incomplete documentation and delays in the movement of pension and GPF proposals.
Responding to a question raised by NLA member, Nuklutoshi on the issue during the ongoing Assembly session, Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio said the government already has systems in place but acknowledged that officials and retiring employees do not always follow the prescribed procedures.
He said some employees may also be unaware of the procedures, adding that the government cannot place the entire blame on the existing system.
Rio informed the House that the government has constituted a committee to examine the existing procedures and identify ways to improve and digitise the system. The digitisation process, he said, has already begun.
The Chief Minister pointed out that several departments fail to adequately guide retiring employees on how to fill and submit pension papers, including the documents required to be attached.
He also identified the late issuance of provisional release orders by concerned departments as another factor delaying the issuance of no-demand certificates required for pension processing.
According to Rio, pension papers are not supposed to be accumulated. Under the existing pension rules, they should be forwarded to the Accountant General’s office at least six months before an employee’s date of retirement so that pensionary benefits can be finalised before retirement.
However, he said some departments compile pension papers of several retiring employees and forward them in bulk only after a substantial number of cases have accumulated, resulting in delays in settlement.
GPF withdrawal proposals also face delays
Rio said delays in the release of final GPF amounts were also caused by the lengthy movement of proposals through different offices.
In the case of gazetted employees, proposals for final GPF withdrawal involve multiple stages, including initiation and authorisation by the Accountant General’s office, processing by the Head of Department and subsequent submission to the Finance Department for final clearance and withdrawal authority.
For Grade-IV employees, applications are initiated at district offices and forwarded to the respective directorates, followed by processing at the HOD level before reaching the Finance Department.
He said GPF proposals were also frequently rejected because of incomplete documentation, including release orders, sanction orders, death certificates and succession certificates, among others.
Rio also cautioned against irregularities involving pension claims after the death of beneficiaries, stating that information regarding deaths and required documents are sometimes not furnished promptly.
He reiterated that the government was aware of the difficulties faced by retiring employees and said the committee examining the issue would work towards digitising the process to reduce errors and delays.
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Pension is a rightful entitlement: Nuklutoshi
Raising the issue, NLA member, Nuklutoshi stressed that pension should not be viewed as a favour but as a rightful entitlement earned by employees after years of public service.
He said pension is the principal source of livelihood for many retired employees and that unnecessary delays can cause significant hardship, particularly in meeting household and medical expenses.
Nuklutoshi said the problem appeared to be systemic rather than confined to any particular department, as pension cases require coordination among departments, the Finance Department, treasuries, district offices, accounts authorities and the Accountant General.
He highlighted several factors that can contribute to delays, including incomplete or outdated service records, missing entries, errors in service books, verification procedures, manpower shortages, frequent transfers of dealing officials and the movement of physical files.
He further pointed out that pension-related discrepancies are often detected only when an employee is nearing retirement.
Calls for pre-retirement verification
Nuklutoshi called for pre-retirement verification to be completed well in advance, preferably beginning around two years before retirement, so that discrepancies can be identified and corrected before the employee reaches the final stage of service.
He also called for clear timelines and accountability mechanisms so that employees can know exactly at which stage their pension case is pending and which office or official is responsible for the delay.
Nagaland can learn from other states
Nuklutoshi suggested that Nagaland could learn from digital pension and financial management systems adopted by other northeastern states.
He cited Assam’s payment tracking system, which enables pension cases to be processed and tracked online, with the objective of ensuring timely settlement of retirement dues.
He also referred to Meghalaya’s automatic monthly pension payment system through treasuries and sub-treasuries, along with biometric self-verification facilities for pensioners.
Mizoram’s Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) and Sikkim’s integrated financial management system were also cited as examples of digital approaches to financial and pension management.
Nuklutoshi urged the government to move from a fragmented and reactive system towards one that is digital, proactive, time-bound and accountable.
“Our objective should be that every employee can retire with the confidence that his or her pension and retirement benefits will be processed promptly and received with dignity,” he said.
He emphasised that timely pension was not merely an administrative matter but a responsibility owed to government employees who had devoted their working lives to public service.
