The Department of Pension and Pensioners' Welfare (DoPPW) successfully resolved 2,306 long-pending pension grievances under Special Campaign 3, achieving a 72% redressal rate. According to the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, the third edition of the annual campaign was launched on July 7, 2026, and concluded on August 31, 2026. The campaign involved a preparatory phase where ministries, departments and their attached offices identified long-pending grievances received through both online and physical modes, followed by an execution phase for resolution. The campaign was launched to ensure timely and qualitative redressal of long-pending pension grievances, claims and issues.
A total of 3,193 cases were taken up for redressal under the campaign, comprising 1,062 target cases identified by ministries and departments during the preparatory phase and 2,131 grievance cases that remained pending on the CPENGRAMS portal for more than one month. Coordinated efforts by 40 ministries and departments resulted in the resolution of 2,306 cases, with the department conducting two mid-campaign review meetings and regularly seeking updates on pending cases. During the execution phase, the department actively coordinated with ministries and departments for redressal of these cases, with active follow-up being done for the redressal of remaining grievances.
The government reported that the demographic distribution of resolved cases showed that a majority related to pensioners and family pensioners living in rural areas. According to the department, this trend indicates that online grievance mechanisms are helping bridge the digital divide, with pensioners in rural areas increasingly able to submit grievances through various ministry and department portals, including the CPENGRAMS portal, allowing their cases to be taken up for resolution without relying solely on physical modes. The ministry cited this demographic distribution as a healthy trend, as the redirection of grievances from rural areas in online mode through various portals operated by ministries or departments and CPENGRAMS portal is bridging the digital divide.
Several long-pending cases involving substantial pension and family pension arrears were settled during the campaign. Among the cases highlighted by the government, ₹37.40 lakh in family pension arrears was released to the spouse of a Defence pensioner towards the difference between ordinary and special family pension, with effect from January 1, 1996. Another Defence pensioner received ₹30 lakh in disability pension arrears, while ₹26.12 lakh was released towards war injury element arrears with effect from January 1, 2006. The campaign also resulted in the release of ₹25.99 lakh in time-barred service pension arrears for the period from October 2004 to December 2023. Notable cases included the release of ₹16.70 lakh on account of family pension arrears to Jayalakshmi Karnan, the disabled dependent daughter of a Defence pensioner, with effect from June, 2013, and a settlement of disability pension arrears of ₹30 lakh in favour of Idan Singh, a Defence pensioner, with effect from September 16, 2016.
The DoPPW has been organising annual special campaigns since 2024 to improve the accessibility and effectiveness of grievance redressal for central government pensioners. The department stated that the outcome of Special Campaign 3 demonstrates the impact of coordinated efforts by ministries and departments in resolving long-pending pension-related cases, while the increasing use of online grievance mechanisms by rural pensioners is helping make the system more accessible. The campaign bridged the digital divide with majority redressal from rural areas through CPENGRAMS Portal, showcasing the effectiveness of digital platforms in reaching pensioners across different geographical locations.
