In a significant move aimed at enhancing the ease of living for senior citizens and pensioners across the nation, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh has launched a single unified form, merging nine separate forms into one “Form 6-A’ and integration of e-HRMS with Bhavishya.

This initiative reflects Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to simplifying processes for senior citizens, enabling them to contribute effectively to the vision of a “Viksit Bharat” by preserving their energies and expertise while saving their valuable time.

Dr Singh, who launched the form yesterday through video-conference, emphasised the importance of this reform, stating, “The launch of the ‘Single Simplified Pension Application Form and Digital Integration of Bhavishya with e-HRMS’ is another milestone and a feather in the cap of the Department of Pension, which has consistently introduced reforms to improve the lives of our senior citizens.”

The Minister recalled the special campaign for family pension grievances and shared that it has crossed the mark of 96 per cent redressal rate including resolution of several long pending cases of dependent minor children, divyang daughters, widow/divorced daughters, dependent mothers and widows of war veterans.

Explaining the details, the Minister said: “The retiring officials, who are on e-HRMS, will fill Form 6-A through e-HRMS (only Superannuation cases) and the retiring officials, who are not on e-HRMS, will fill Form 6-A in Bhavishya.” He also added that Form submission by the Pensioner with a single e-Sign (Aadhaar based OTP) will be enough.

Dr Singh also released Gazette Notification of New Single Pension Application Form: A vital step towards Ease of Living for retiring officials along with Compendium of Pension related Instructions.

The Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare has developed an “Integrated Pensioners’ Portal” using Bhavishya platform as the base to provide a Common Single Window Portal for pensioners and elderly citizens.

The State Bank of India, Canara Bank, Punjab National Bank, Bank of Baroda, Bank of India and Union Bank of India are already integrated their Pension Portals with the Integrated Pensioners’ Portal.

Dr Singh launched the integration of the Central Bank of India Pension Portal with Bhavishya. Presently, 4 facilities viz. Monthly Pension Slip, Status of Life Certificate, Submission Form 16 of the pensioner and Due & Drawn Statement of pension arrears paid, are being provided by these Banks. The goal is to integrate all Pension Disbursing Banks with this portal for a unified user experience.

According to the Minister, the newly launched unified form is designed to streamline the process for pensioners, reducing the complexity of handling multiple forms and significantly cutting down on the time and effort required. This user-friendly approach is expected to benefit millions of senior citizens, enabling them to manage their pension-related matters with greater ease and convenience.

Dr Singh said, “The Government remains committed to its vision of empowering senior citizens and harnessing their wisdom and experience for the development of the nation. This latest initiative is a testament to the continued efforts to simplify and improve the systems that directly impact the lives of our elderly population.”