Pension to be paid through banks

Imphal, May 24 (UNI) The Manipur government has decided to pay pensioners through banks, official sources said here today.

Finance Commissioner R.R.Rashmi said ''To minimise fraud and irregularities in disbursement of pensions to ex-government employees, the state finance department has decided to discontinue payment of pension in cash with immediate effect.'' Pension of all categories would be paid only through bank accounts which pensioners would be required to open in their own name.

Pensioners would have to open such accounts in a bank with which the treasury offices normally conduct banking operations, or any other bank branch of the pensioners choice located in the same district headquarters, Mr Rashmi said.

Several pensions are currently being drawn on authorisation basis by third parties, he said. In many cases, the life status of pensioner is not properly presented to the pensioner, which is likely to result in payment of unauthorised pensions.

It said the step of discontinuing payment of pensions in cash has been taken up in order to check payment of pension to unauthorized persons, and eliminate all possibility of pensions being paid to ''non-existent'' pensioners.

UNI