Woes of retired officials

When I retired in 2002 I personally obtained "No Demand Certificate" from the missions I served during my diplomatic career and happily looked forward to my early pension. But I was told by the mission officials that they did not recognise those certificates by the missions! Subsequently, they gave me a long list of flimsy objections which should not have been given but more importantly they were not communicated to me before I returned to Bangladesh after retirement.

The most pitiable thing is that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs itself is flouting the rules under the Memorandum on "Simplification of rules /procedures pertaining to pension of the civilian government officials" dated October 8, 2001. The paragraph 2.12 of the Memorandum on Provisional Pension clearly states that in the cases which cannot be settled in the absence of "No Demand Certificate" or essential papers, 80 per cent of the full pension must be given to the officials concerned on the basis of their applications.

The rule further makes it obligatory on the part of the concerned office to collect all the essential papers within six months and finalise the pension cases. Otherwise, after the expiry of six month the pensioner must be given full pension on the basis of his statement. The ministry, as was the case with many other retired ambassadors, did not respond to my application for 80 per cent pension.

The concerned audit officials and those working in the foreign M\ministry have little understanding of the seriousness of the rules as stated above.

Getting pension is a matter of right for rendering service to the nation for long years. The officers should get pension the day after they retire. Many audit officials have vested interest in keeping the matter pending and they are hardly punished for incompetence or corruption.

Since no other options are available, the retired ambassadors may perhaps be compelled to go to the court to seek redress to their plight and get what is rightfully theirs.