Grant of family pension to childless widow of Armed Forces Officers and Personnel Below Officer Rank(PBOR) - Clarification - regarding.

No. 1(6)/2011 -D(Pen-Policy)

Government of India

Ministry of Defence

Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare

New Delhi, the 6th January 2011.

To
The Chief of Army Staff
The Chief of Naval Staff
The Chief of Air Staff

Subject:- Grant of family pension to childless widow of Armed Forces Officers and Personnel Below Officer Rank(PBOR) - Clarification - regarding.

Sir,

   The undersigned is directed to refer to this Ministry’s letter No. 17(4)2008(2)/D(Pen/Policy) dated 12.11.2008, issued for implementation of Government decisions on the recommendations of 6th CPC for revision provisions regulating Pension/Gratuity/Commutation of Pension/ Family Pension etc. for the Armed Forces Officers and Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBOR) retired or died in harness on or after 1.1.2006.

   2. As per provisions contained in Para 11.3 of this Ministry’s above said letter dated 12.11.2008, the childless widow of a deceased Armed Forces personnel shall continue to be paid family pension even after her remarriage subject to the condition that the family pension shall cease once her independent income from all sources becomes equal to or higher than the minimum prescribed family pension in the Central Government.

   3. Consequent upon receipt of certain references from various quarters seeking clarification regarding applicability of above mentioned provisions in cases where death of a employee took place prior to 1.1.2006 and childless widow of the deceased employees got remarried before/on or after 1.1.2006, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pension, Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare, New Delhi vide their OM NO 1/4/2011-P&PW(E) dated 1st April, 2011 has decided in consultation with Ministry of Finance (Department of Expenditure) that the childless widow of a deceased employee who expired before 1.1.2006, shall also be eligible for family pension irrespective of the fact that the remarriage of the widow had taken place prior to/on or after 1.1.2006 subject to fulfillment of other conditions. The financial benefits in such cases has, however, been allowed from 1.1.2006.

   4. The matter has been examined in this Ministry and it has been decided that the provisions of Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pension, Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare, New Delhi above said OM dated 1st April, 2011 shall mutatis mutandis apply to the Armed Forces Personnel.

   5. This issues with the concurrence of Finance division of this Ministry vide their UO No 55/Fin/Pen dated 4/01/12.

   Hindi version will follow.

sd/-

(Malathi Narayanan)

Under Secretary to Govt. of India

Source: http://www.cgda.nic.in/audit/ofp_childless_widow0001.pdf