Q & A (12)

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My sister is in receipt of special family pension on account of the death of her husband. Now unfortunately her unmarried son has also died but she is being refused special family pension by the Records Office on account of the death of her son on the pretext that Regulation 222 (a) of the Pension Regulations allows only one pension to a person. Is this correct ? (Ex-Havladar Raj Nath)

This is absolutely a wrong interpretation of Regulation 222 by the Records. The said Regulation prohibits two family pensions in respect of the same person. Meaning thereby that if an ex-serviceman had two spells of service and was earning two service pensions, then on his death, his widow shall only be entitled to one family pension as per her choice since only one family pension can be claimed for one person. However, there is no bar on grant of two family pensions to the same claimant in respect of two separate casualties and this has been clarified time and again by the govt also. It is learnt that despite this fact having been clarified, some officials at the PCDA(P) and also some Record Offices are creating confusion on the issue which is not in the right spirit.

The special family pension, till the 5th CPC, was based on 60% of emoluments or 60% of minimum of scale for pre-5th CPC retirees. However no such orders have been issued after the 6th CPC and widows have only been grnated revised pension based on the normal revision / fitment formula of "old special pension X 2.26" subject to a minimum of Rs 7000 per month. Why this discrimination after the 6th CPC ? (Mrs Anu Singh)

The Department of Pensions and Pensioners’ Welfare is already working on a revised pension protection formula for such cases and the same would be endorsed to the MoD for implementation once the master OM is issued by the DoP&PW.

I am a doctor in the central govt and have been placed in PB-4 with GP of Rs 10,000 under the Dynamic Assured Progression Scheme (DACP) but my department is refusing to provide me my entitlements in accordance with GP of Rs 10,000. Is there no change in status under DACP ? (Dr Anil Shrivastava)

All facilities and entitlements of a higher GP are supposed to be extended under the DACP. Your department is wrong in not extending the same to you. In fact there was a controversy in the Railways on the grant of Silver Card to doctors granted a higher GP under DACP and it was ordained that the said card has to be issued on promotion to a higher GP under the DACP. On the other hand, upgradation to a higher GP under the Non-Functional Financial Upgradation (NFFU) scheme, or under Modified ACP (MACP) does not result in higher status, facilities or entitlements.


What is the status of Assistant Engineers (AEs) who are Group-B officers ? They claim that they are placed in between Subedar Majors and Lieutenants. (Ex-Sub Maj Jai Narayan)

AEs are actually equivalent to Subedars. Even in pay, they enjoy the same scale and Grade Pay as Subedars. In the MES however, they (AEs) are posted as AGEs too which is a post which can also be held by a Group-A officer of the rank of Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE). Similarly, even JCOs were, till some years back, posted as AGEs.

A course-mate of mine was killed in a fratricide incident a few years ago in an operational area but his death has been classified as a physical casualty. What is the actual rule position ? (ABC)

It is definitely a Battle Casualty in accordance with Para 1(r) of Appendix A of Army Order 01 of 2003. His family should take up a case with the MP directorate for rectification of the error.