No more rushing to get pension, online tracking is coming

Many government employees have to travel to different offices repeatedly to get their pension after retirement. They often have to endure months of hassle in verifying applications, collecting necessary documents, knowing the location of files, and waiting for approval. The government is going to launch the Online Pension Tracking and Management System (OPTMS) to reduce these complications and make pension services faster, transparent, and citizen-friendly.

With this new system, submitting pension applications, uploading required documents, knowing the status of the application, and tracking the approval progress — everything can be done online. This will save time and reduce hassle and unnecessary office visits.

State Minister for Public Administration and Food Md. Abdul Bari gave this information at the inauguration of a workshop on 'Online Pension Tracking and Management System' at the conference room of the Ministry of Public Administration at the Secretariat on Tuesday (June 23).

Speaking as the chief guest, he said that retired government employees often face delays, procedural complications and unnecessary office travel in pension-related matters. Once OPTMS is fully implemented, they will be able to submit applications digitally and track the progress of their applications. This will ensure that they receive their pension in the fastest possible time.

The State Minister also said that if services are available online instead of visiting government offices, it will serve as an effective tool to reduce corruption. At the same time, transparency and accountability in government services will increase.

Officials said that under the new system, employees will receive notifications through SMS about 11 months before going on post-retirement leave. They will then be able to submit their applications online, upload the required documents and instantly know the status of their applications. The welfare officer and the sanctioning authority will also process the files on the same platform.

The workshop, chaired by Md. Ehsanul Haque, Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration, was attended by Finance Division Secretary Dr. Md. Khairuzzaman Majumder and Comptroller General of Accounts SM Rezvi as special guests.

In his speech as the president, Md. Ehsanul Haque said that the process of granting pensions had become complicated due to the lack of a comprehensive employee database for a long time. If an updated database is developed, the process of approving pensions will be easier and faster. He also highlighted the need to set up a separate help desk for pensioners.

Finance Department Secretary Dr. Md. Khayeruzzaman Majumder said that after retirement, many pensioners find themselves in a helpless situation due to various complications. OPTMS will increase their confidence by ensuring hassle-free service. He said that in the first phase, this system will be launched in a pilot form for regular pension cases of employees of the Ministry of Public Administration. Later, it will be expanded to the Finance Department, the Office of the Comptroller General of Accounts, various ministries, attached departments and field offices.

According to the information presented at the workshop, OPTMS will work in conjunction with the iBUS++ platform. Through this, job records and financial information will be automatically collected. This will reduce the need for manual data entry and reduce procedural errors.

Currently, several services including pension payment through EFT, life verification and pension payment statements have already been brought to the digital platform. With the launch of OPTMS, the relatively complex pre-retirement stage of pension management will also be digital. As a result, the concerned parties expect that this new system will play an important role in ensuring fast, transparent and accountable pension services.