No Need For Mentally Challenged Children To Produce Guardianship Certificate For Family Pension: Centre

New Delhi: The Centre has clarified that mentally challenged children of a government employee or a pensioner is also entitled to the Family Pension scheme.

Speaking to media persons on Sunday, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said it has come to the notice of the Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare that some banks were not allowing Family Pension to mentally challenged children nominated by the pensioner.

Stating that the banks were demanding guardianship certificate issued by the court from the pension claimants, Singh said one should understand and respect this feature of the Family Pension Scheme.

The provision of nomination for Family Pension aims at preventing any problem to the child suffering from a mental disability in availing it, he said adding that insisting on a Guardianship Certificate defeats its very purpose.

Claiming that such demand amounts to violation of the provisions of Central Civil Service (Pension) Rules, 2021, the Union minister said the Department has advised the CMDs of pension disbursing banks to issue necessary instructions to their branches for payment of Family Pension to mentally challenged children nominated by the government servant, pensioner and family pensioner.