Antony asks Defence Accounts to expedite pension

NEW DELHI - Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday called for early disbursal of revised pension and arrears to Ex-Servicemen, asking the Defence Finance officials to expedite and further streamline the pension system for the Armed Forces personnel.

“Even now, I am getting a lot of complaints from people that they are not getting pensions… Considering the past, things have improved, but even then complaints are there. So, you must take all steps possible so that they get their dues at the earliest,” said Antony after inaugurating the Controllers’ Conference of the Defence Accounts Department.

Commending the Defence Accounts Department for facilitating the procurement of weapons and systems, the Defence Minister noted that the capital expenditure, utilised last year, has been an all-time record.

Antony called for transparent, timely and judicious use of Defence Expenditure, adding that the government has tried to infuse more transparency in the huge Defence outlay, which is over Rs. 1.52 lakh crores for the current financial year.

“Defence expenditure and procurement issues are complex and time-consuming and have a direct bearing on our national security. We have tried to infuse more transparency and efficiency into our procedures and systems,” said Antony.

“It is my firm belief that expenditure of public money must have an appropriate system of checks and balances”, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Defence Dr. MM Pallam Raju said that the Defence Pension Adalats have become an effective mechanism for grievance redressal on the ground.

Hoping that the pension arrears for pre-2006 PBORs would soon be disbursed, he said that the Principal Controller of Defence Accounts (PCDA) would soon roll out the e-ticketing system for air travel.

The Chief of the Army Staff General VK Singh and Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister Dr. VK Saraswat were among the dignitaries present at the inauguration of the three-day biennial onference. (ANI)