BENGALURU: There is some relief in store for postal department pensioners across the country due to a move by the department to provide them all information about their accounts on their mobiles. A total of 4,62,096 pensioners across the country and 17,144 in Karnataka are set to benefit from this facility, that will roll out in the first week of September. The move is particularly useful in these times of the corona pandemic, with both the government and families cautioning senior citizens from stepping outside their homes.
Charles Lobo, member, Postal Operations, New Delhi, told TNIE that any retired postal employee whose number has been provided to the department stands to benefit from this messaging service. While at present, a message stating that pension has been credited is sent to pensioners, the service that is set to be rolled out will specify the pension amount, Dearness Allowance, deduction, arrears, income-tax, net pension, apart from the date the pension has been credited. A senior postal department official said, “The SMS plays the role of a payslip for them. Pensioners usually get a message about credit of the pension from their post office or bank account. However, they are not aware of the break-up of the amount.”