Nagaland Reviews Delays In Pension, GPF And Other Retirement Benefits

The Nagaland government is looking into delays in pension, gratuity, General Provident Fund (GPF), National Pension System (NPS) and other retirement benefits for state government employees. Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio had informed the state Assembly earlier this month that a committee will examine the reasons for these delays and work on digitising the process.

Why Pension Payments Have Been Delayed

Rio has pointed to gaps in paperwork and a lack of guidance as some of the reasons behind the delays. Retiring employees have not always been aware of the documents they need to submit or the procedures they need to follow for processing their pension claims.

Departments have also issued provisional release orders late in some cases. This has delayed the process of getting no-demand certificates, which are needed before retirement benefits can be settled, according to a PTI report.

Some departments have sent pension papers to the Accountant General's office in bulk instead of forwarding them individually. This has added to the time required to check and process the documents.

Under the existing rules, pension papers should reach the Accountant General's office at least six months before an employee retires. This gives officials time to verify records and complete the process before retirement.

Final GPF withdrawals have also faced delays because proposals pass through multiple levels of the administration. Applications have sometimes been returned when documents, such as release and sanction orders are missing. Cases involving deceased employees also require documents, such as death and succession certificates.

Digitisation Plan For Pension Processing

The committee will examine these issues and work towards digitising the pension process. The government is looking at digital systems to reduce paperwork, errors and delays in processing retirement claims.

According to the report, Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), Nuklutoshi, has called for service records to be checked before retirement, preferably starting around two years in advance. He has also sought fixed timelines and clear responsibility for pending pension cases.

Nuklutoshi has proposed an online system through which pensioners can track their claims. He has also pointed to digital pension and financial management systems used in other northeastern states as possible models for Nagaland.

Logistics Training Centre Opens In Dimapur

Separately, the Nagaland government has opened the Centre of Logistics Training for Excellence (COLTE) at Kushiabill in Dimapur. The centre will train 400 economically weaker youth every year in areas linked to the logistics sector.

The centre will provide training in warehousing, supply chain management and logistics technology, along with free accommodation and food. Officials have also set a target of having 20 women and girls make up at least 20 per cent of the trainees.

The training will provide national certification and help trainees access job opportunities across India and overseas. Deputy Chief Minister T R Zeliang inaugurated the centre, while MLA and Advisor for Skill Development, Labour and Employment Moatoshi Longkumer highlighted the need for training that leads to jobs rather than certificates alone.