BHAVISHYA (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Economy)

Context: Recently, the Department of Pension & Pensioners' Welfare introduced 'Bhavishya'.

Bhavishya

• About: It is an online platform initiated by the Government of India to streamline the pension sanction and payment process for retiring central government employees.
• Digital India Initiative: It is a part of the Digital India initiative, designed to improve the ease of living for pensioners by ensuring timely and accurate pension disbursements.
• Recognition: BHAVISHYA was ranked 3rd best in the National e-Governance Service Delivery Assessment (NeSDA) in 2021.
• Nodal Agency: The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions 
• Objectives: 

o  Timely Benefits: Ensure retirees receive all retirement benefits and pensions promptly.

o Case Processing: Ensure timely processing of pension cases at each administrative level.

o Pension Tracking: Allow retirees to track their pension cases online.

o Guidance: Assist retirees in completing forms as per CCS Pension Rules and guide them through the retirement process.

• Features:

o Auto Registration of Retirees: Bhavishya integrates with payroll systems to automatically register employees nearing retirement and provides Management Information System (MIS) data on upcoming retirements within the next 15 months.

o Self-Registration for Stakeholders: Stakeholders, including DDOs, Heads of Offices (HOO), and Pay and Accounts Officers (PAO), can self-register and manage their pension forms, enhancing process efficiency and minimizing errors.

o Strict Timelines: Pension processing starts 15 months before retirement with strict deadlines and automatic reminders to ensure timely completion and adherence to schedules.

o Transparency and Accountability: The system offers full transparency in the pension process, facilitating the identification and resolution of delays and ensuring accountability throughout.