The BJP government in West Bengal has announced plans to disburse 50% of the Dearness Relief (DR) arrears to state government pensioners and family pensioners in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) area. This decision aims to expedite payments that have been delayed due to the unavailability of verified bank records. The government’s notification highlights the interim relief measure taken while awaiting validated details of past pension disbursements from banks.
The state government has decided to release half of the estimated arrears of DR spanning from 2008 to 2019 to pensioners and family pensioners receiving pensions from various banks in the KMC area. The delay in arrears release is attributed to the lack of historical pension disbursement records maintained by banks. Calculations for the estimated arrears will be based on data provided by the Accountant General, West Bengal, DR rates during the ROPA 2009 period, and an applicable All India Consumer Price Index-linked formula.
To streamline the process, a dedicated Bank Pension Management Portal has been developed under the West Bengal Integrated Financial Management System (WBiFMS). Banks are instructed to verify and update pensioners’ records on the portal and promptly credit the eligible amount to their accounts. Furthermore, banks are required to furnish validated details of all pension disbursements made during the ROPA 2009 period for the calculation and disbursement of the remaining DR arrears.
Regarding the payment of residual DR arrears, the government will announce the modalities separately. Debashis Shil, the state president of the Government Employees Council, mentioned that retirees since 2008 will receive half of their arrears, while those receiving pensions outside the KMC area have been given the full amount for 2016 to 2019. Retirees who were in service post-2008 and retired midway will receive 50% until 2019. Shil expressed concerns about financial disparities faced by retired employees and announced plans to submit a memorandum to the Finance Secretary to address the issue of discrimination and advocate for the full amount for 2016 to 2019.
