The Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare (DoPPW) has recently issued new instructions regarding the process for changing a spouse’s name or surname after retirement. This guidance, detailed in an office memorandum dated October 24, 2024, clarifies the procedures for pensioners.
According to the CCS (Pension) Rules of 2021 and 1972, there isn’t a specific process for changing a spouse’s name or surname in the Pension Payment Order (PPO) after retirement. The PPO is based on the employee’s service record, which is maintained by the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), the office memorandum said.
“There is no separate procedure prescribed in the CCS (Pension) Rules, 2021 or CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972 for change of name/surname in the PPO of Government employees or spouse after retirement. The PPO is issued on the basis of service record/service book of the employee and the maintenance of service book is concerned with DoPT,” it said.
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The issue of changing spouse names was addressed in a recent review meeting focused on grievances within the Centralized Pension Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPENGRAMS). The Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) was advised to refer to DoPT’s earlier memorandum from March 12, 1987, for guidance on changing the name of family pensioners.
If MoSPI finds any discrepancies in the documents submitted by a family pensioner requesting a name change, they are advised to communicate directly with the applicant. This is to ensure that all requirements outlined in the DoPT memorandum are met.
All Ministries and Departments are urged to disseminate this information to personnel involved in pensionary benefits to ensure compliance with the new instructions.
These updated guidelines aim to streamline the process for pensioners wishing to change their spouse’s name or surname, providing clarity and support in navigating the necessary steps.
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