UT transition expanded reach of pension reforms in J&K: Jitendra Singh

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh on Tuesday said governance and pension reforms introduced over the past 12 years are reaching a wider section of employees and pensioners in Jammu and Kashmir following the transition of the erstwhile state into a Union Territory.

Dr Singh said the reorganisation of J&K resulted in a substantial increase in the number of Central Government employees in the region, bringing certain initial challenges related to workload and service delivery. However, he noted that these issues have been progressively addressed through coordinated efforts by the Government and associated institutions, enabling employees and pensioners across the Union Territory to benefit from reforms introduced over the last decade.

The Minister made special mention of the role played by the J&K Central Pensioners’ Associations, describing them as valuable partners in the transition process. He said the associations not only extended full cooperation but also consistently highlighted issues before the Government while offering practical suggestions for their resolution. Their constructive engagement, he added, helped facilitate the integration of erstwhile state employees into the Central Government framework and contributed to the effective implementation of pension reforms across Jammu and Kashmir.

Dr Singh said pensioners and employees in J&K are now increasingly benefiting from a series of citizen-centric initiatives.

He was addressing the 59th Pre-Retirement Counselling Workshop and the 13th Bankers’ Awareness Programme organised by the Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare (DoPPW) at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar.

The Minister said one of the defining features of the last decade has been the transformation of the Department from being viewed primarily as a pension-processing institution to one genuinely committed to the welfare of pensioners. He noted that the emphasis today is not merely on issuing Pension Payment Orders but on ensuring dignity, security, convenience and an improved quality of life for pensioners and senior citizens.