TN – Grant of Pongal Prize to Pensioners / Family Pensioners and Ex-Village Officers

GOVERNMENT OF TAMIL NADU

2011

FINANCE (PENSION) DEPARTMENT

G.O.No.2, Dated: 3rd January, 2011

( Margazhi-19, Thiruvalluvar Aandu 2041)

PONGAL FESTIVAL, 2011 – Grant of Pongal Prize to Pensioners / Family Pensioners and Ex-Village Officers – Orders – Issued
Read the following:-
1. G.O.(Ms).No. 2, Finance (Pension) Department, dated 02.01.2010
2. G.O.(Ms).No. 1, Finance (Allowances) Department, dated 03.01.2011

******

ORDER:

The Government sanction a lumpsum Pongal Prize amount of Rs.500/- (Rupees five hundred only) to all pensioners including adhoc pensioners of all categories and family pensioners of Government including All India Service, Aided Educational Institutions and Local Bodies.
2. This order shall be applicable to all the existing pensioners / family pensioners mentioned in paragraph 1 above. This order shall also be applicable to provisional pensioners. The Pongal Prize amount shall not be admissible to those employees who retire on or after 03.01.2011 and to the families of those employees who die in harness on or after 03.01.2011.
3. Accepting the request of Ex-Village Officers to grant Pongal Prize as applicable to Government Pensioners, Government sanction Rs.500/- as Pongal Prize to the Ex-Village Officers from the year 2011 onwards.
4. Those who have retired / died in harness during the period from 01.10.2009 to 02.01.2011 are not eligible for the Pongal Prize amount if they are paid Adhoc Bonus / Special Adhoc Bonus as per the orders issued in the Government Order second read above. For this purpose, the pension disbursing officers shall obtain non-drawal certificates from the departments concerned before making payment to these pensioners.
5. This order is not applicable to the following categories of pensioners:-

i) Special pensioners such as Ulema Pensioners, State Freedom Fighters Pensioners and Social Pension for Scholars and Eminent persons, etc.

ii) Family pensioners who are appointed on compassionate grounds if adhoc bonus / special adhoc bonus is paid to them as applicable to the employees in service.

6. The Government also direct that the procedure indicated below be followed for disbursement of Pongal Prize amount in respect of pensioners / family pensioners coming under the Pension Pilot Scheme.

i) In respect of those pensioners / family pensioners to whom pension / family pension is sent by Money order at Government cost, the Pongal prize amount also shall be sent by Money Order at the Government cost.

ii) In respect of pensioners / family pensioners to whom pension / family pension is paid through Banks,

a) In Pension Pay Office, Chennai and District Treasuries / Sub Treasuries where the cheque system of payment of bills / Electronic Clearing System is in vogue, the Pension Pay Officer, Chennai and District Treasury officers / Sub Treasury officers are permitted to issue cheques and send the cheques to the respective paying branches of the bank with a covering list of pensioners / family pensioners for crediting the amount to the pensioners’ / family pensioners’ savings bank account.

b) As regards banking Sub-Treasuries where the cheque system of payment of bills / Electronic Clearing System is not in vogue, the Sub Treasury officers are permitted to get Banker’s cheque / Bank draft and send them to the respective pensioners for crediting the
amount to the pensioners’ / family pensioners’ savings bank account.

c) As regards Non-Banking Sub-Treasuries, the Sub-Treasury officers are permitted to draw the Pongal prize amount and arrange to send the same to the respective paying branches of the bank for crediting the amount to the pensioners’ / family pensioners’ savings bank account.

7. In respect of pensioners / family pensioners coming under the Public Sector Bank Scheme, all Public Sector Banks are authorised to credit the amount to the pensioners’ / family pensioners’ account.
8. In respect of pensioners / family pensioners for whom expenditure is met from State Funds, the expenditure shall be debited to “2071. Pensions and Other Retirement Benefits – 01. Civil – 800. Other Expenditure – I. Non-Plan – AF. Pongal prize to Pensioners and Family Pensioners – 27. Pensions – 09. Others (D.P. Code 2071 01 800 AF 2799)”. In respect of payment of Pongal Prize to Ex-Village Officers, the expenditure shall be debited to a new sub head of account to be opened under Demand No.50 as detailed below:-

“2071. Pensions and Other Retirement Benefits – 01. Civil – 800. Other Expenditure – I. Non-Plan– AK. Pongal Prize to ExVillage Officers – 27. Pensions – 09. Others (D.P. Code 2071  01 800 AK 2791)”

In respect of pensioners / family pensioners of Local Bodies for whom expenditure is met from the fund maintained by the Director of Local Fund Audit or Municipal Funds, as the case may be, the expenditure shall be met from the respective funds referred to above.
9. The Pongal Prize amount sanctioned above shall be paid to the eligible pensioners / family pensioners and Ex-Village Officers immediately.
10. Necessary provisions have been made under the relevant head of account in Budget Estimate 2010-2011. However, if additional provisions are required, they will be made under the relevant head of account in RE/FMA 2010-2011 and the required funds may be drawn pending such provision. In respect of Pongal Prize to Ex-Village Officers, necessary funds will be provided in RE/FMA 2010-2011. Pending provision of such funds, the expenditure may be incurred and the expenditure will be brought to the notice of the Legislature by specific inclusion in the Supplementary Estimates, 2010-2011.
11. The Accountant General is the Estimating, Reconciling and Controlling Authority for the above new head of account.
12. This order issues with the Additional Sanction Ledger No. 1713 (One Thousand Seven hundred and Thirteen).

(BY ORDER OF THE GOVERNOR)

K. SHANMUGAM,
PRINCIPAL SECRETARY TO GOVERNMENT.

Original copy