Over 77,000 Kerala pensioners pass away while awaiting overdue arrears from state treasury.

Over 75,000 pensioners in Kerala have tragically passed away without receiving their full pension revision arrears, which were withheld by the state government.

According to the information disclosed by the State Treasury Directorate under the RTI Act, a staggering 77,000 pensioners lost their lives between July 2019 and April 2023. Each of these individuals was entitled to receive arrears ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 40,000 in two installments, funds that could have proven crucial during medical emergencies like surgeries.

At the close of the first Pinarayi Vijayan government’s term, a retrospective salary and pension revision from July 1, 2019, was executed for state government employees. The assurance was that pension revision arrears would be disbursed in four installments, but only two have been paid out.

Initially, the plan was to distribute the revision arrears in August and November of 2021. Due to severe financial constraints, the third installment’s payout was postponed to the previous fiscal year (2022-23), and the fourth to the current fiscal year (2023-24). Regrettably, these payments have not yet been made.

Finance Minister K N Balagopal, during an Assembly session, disclosed that a sum of Rs 2,800 crore remains pending for disbursement in this regard. Furthermore, the government also owes Rs 1,400 crore in dearness allowance arrears.

Upon a pensioner’s demise, the government can release the funds to their nominee. If the nominee is also no longer alive, the rightful legal heir can procure a certificate from the tahsildar to prove their status and claim the funds.

The Treasury Department halts pension disbursement once they receive news of a pensioner’s passing and record it in the Pension Information Management System (PIMS). The Treasury Directorate used data from PIMS to respond to an RTI application filed by Sreekumar Kottarathil, the Kerala State Pensioners Sangh state general secretary.

Despite appeals from various pensioners’ associations, the government has yet to take action, even though they have suggested allowing pension arrears for individuals over 70 years old. Implementing this proposal could have potentially saved many pensioners from passing away without receiving their long-awaited arrears.