Pongal Festival, 2016 – Grant of Pongal Prize to Pensioners / Family Pensioners - Orders - Issued.
Government of Tamil Nadu
2016

MANUSCRIPT SERIES

FINANCE [Pension] DEPARTMENT
G.O.No.2, Dated 4th January 2016.
(Manmatha, Margazhi -19, Thiruvalluvar Aandu-2046)

ABSTRACT

Pongal Festival, 2016 – Grant of Pongal Prize to Pensioners / Family Pensioners - Orders - Issued.

Read :
1. G.O.Ms.No.10, Finance (Pension) Department, dated: 08-01-2015.
2. G.O.Ms.No.1, Finance (Allowances) Department, dated: 04-01-2016.

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 Services, Aided Educational Institutions, Local Bodies and Ex-Village Officers.

2. This order shall be applicable to all the existing Pensioners / Family Pensioners mentioned 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 04-01-2016 and to the families of those employees who die in harness on or after 04-01-2016.

3. Those who have retired / died in harness during the period from 01-10-2014 to 03-01-2016 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 such Pensioners.

4. This order is not applicable to the following categories of pensioners:-

(i) The Special Pensioners such as Ulema Pensioners, State Freedom Fighter Pensioners and Scholars and Eminent persons, etc covered by Social Pension Scheme.

(ii) The Family Pensioners who are appointed on compassionate grounds and received adhoc bonus / special adhoc bonus as applicable to the serving employees.

5. The Government also direct that the procedure indicated below be followed for disbursement of Pongal Prize 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 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 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 / Demand Draft and send them to the respective Pensioners for crediting the amount to the Pensioners’ / Family Pensioners’ savings bank account; and

(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.

6. 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.

7. In respect of Pensioners / Family Pensioners for whom expenditure is met from State Consolidated Fund, the expenditure shall be debited to the following Head of Account:

"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.C. 2071 01 800 AF 2799)".

In respect of payment of Pongal Prize to Ex-Village Officers, the expenditure shall be debited to the following Head of Account:-

“2071. Pensions and Other Retirement Benefits – 01. Civil –
800. Other Expenditure – I. Non-Plan – AK. Other Expenditure
- Pongal Prize to Ex-Village Officers – 27. Pensions – 09. Others
(D.P.C. 2071 01 800 AK 2799)”

8. 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 fund 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 2015-2016. However, if additional provisions are required, the same will be made under the relevant head of account in Final Modified Appropriation 2015-2016 and the required funds shall be drawn pending such provision.

11. This order issues with the Additional Sanction Ledger No.1841 (One Thousand Eight Hundred Forty One).

(BY ORDER OF THE GOVERNOR)

K.SHANMUGAM
PRINCIPAL SECRETARY TO GOVERNMENT.