Army man’s widow gets family pension benefits after 19 years

Widow of retired Army Gunner finally receives family pension after 19-year struggle, thanks to Sainik Welfare Department's efforts.

It was a huge relief for a widow of a retired Army Gunner as she got the family pension after 19-years of running from pillar to post.

It all started in 2005 when Gunner Ramana Reddy of Artillery Regiment passed away. He was discharged from the service in 1991 on medical grounds but secured a job in Central Excise department as a constable. His wife, Lavanya, could not complete the formalities of the family pension due to her ill health and other issues after his demise. He hailed from Kamalapur village in Navipet mandal of Nizamabad district.

Her woes compounded when she overdrew the pension of her husband and there were documentation issues. The bank account was different from the one in which the husband’s pension was credited.

The issue was brought to the notice of Colonel Ramesh Kumar, Director of Sainik Welfare Department, Telangana in 2017. The Sainik Welfare department officials approached the banks, obtained necessary documents by submitting an undertaking to recover the excess amount drawn and simultaneously took up the issue with Record Office and PCDA Prayagraj for sanction of family pension duly completing elaborate formalities since it was a 12 year-old case.

After persistent follow up, the family pension was finally sanctioned in October 2021 but it was not the end of the ordeal as Ms. Lavanya had closed her savings bank account by mistake.

She was then advised by the Sainik Welfare officials to open another account in the same bank and took up the case once again with the Artillery Record office and PCDA authorities for change of bank account. After a series of correspondence, the amendments to the Pension Payment Order with amended bank account was issued in 2023.

When the officials and the widow thought the hardship had come to an end, the change of responsibility of Central Pension Processing Centres of the Bank resulted in her documents getting misplaced. The Sainik Welfare department officials after long drawn battle managed to secure her family pension in June this year. According to Col Ramesh Kumar, Ms. Lavanya finally got a monthly family pension of ₹ 12,000 and arrears to the tune of ₹19-lakhs.