Changes in public pension, land registration rules in the offing

FE ReportbrThe Regulatory Reforms Commission (RRC) has drafted recommendations for substantial changes in public pension rules and regulations to simplify the process, and the land registration system for quick settlement of land-related disputes. brAccording to the recommendations, public servants will need not apply formally for retirement pension, rather within a certain period of time their pension will be automatically processed. brThe people concerned will not be required to wait years after years for getting their land disputes settled if the land registration system is computerised. brThe Commission will place its recommendations about changes in pension rules and land registration system to the Chief Adviser (CA) after ratification of the draft at its meeting scheduled for next weekbrPublic servants will not have to knock from door to door of a number of officials for years after years once the recommendations are implemented. There will also be a slim chance of bribery, the RRC's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Apurba Kumar Biswas told the FE.brOnce land registration is computerised, meaning to put all records about land in computer, the harassment of the people will be reduced to a great extent and transparency will also be ensured, he said referring to India which reaped the benefit of computerisation in land registration system there. brAccording to a study by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), the average public servants on retirement have to pay Tk 8,000 in bribe and spend Tk 3,720 for transport and meals to get their pension documents processed.brThe TIB identified the lack of transparency and accountability, bribery and procedural complexities in the pension fund system as major sources of sufferings for the retired public servants.brThe recommendations also include decentralising the authority of sanctioning pension and storing updated information about government officials and employees on computers.brThree months before a public servant touches 57 years, his present office will send a statement on their leave to the accounts officer concerned who will then issue an expected last pay certificate (ELPC) in 15 days' time, the recommendations said.brThe office will then issue an order on retirement and encashment of leave on receiving the ELPC, it added.brThe last office will prepare the would-be retiree's list of liabilities in a month after the issuance of the leave preparatory to retirement (LPR) order and then ask the offices, where he or she worked in the last three years, to send no-objection certificate or opinion in 21 days.brOther departments responsible for providing housing, electricity and telephone to the official in the last three years will also be asked to give report outstanding bills, if any, within the same period. brIf the official has any outstanding utility bills or arrears and pays them off, the concerned offices will have to send their clearance certificates in 21 days following the payment.brThe Commission proposes dropping the need for the would-be retiree to attach citizenship certificate, fingerprint and bond to the pension form if heshe has national identity card or birth certificate. brThe letter sanctioning the pension will have to be sent to the accounts section three months before the LPR ends. The accounts department will then send a pension cheque to the recipient's bank account in 15 days after receiving the letter and inform the retiree accordingly.brAs with the lump-sum pension grant, bank cheques for monthly pension will be sent to the recipient's account automatically.brPublic servants who worked 10 years in temporary posts under the revenue sector will be entitled to pension under the new recommendations.