Punjab abolishes pension raise for govt employees

LAHORE: The Punjab government has abolished the annual pension raise for retired government employees, ARY News reported.

According to the notification issued by the Finance Department, the decision will affect three types of pensions and will come into effect immediately.

The notification stated that the annual increase in pension will be stopped for retired government employees, starting from December 2, 2024.

The Secretary of Finance has directed all administrative secretaries and heads of departments to take necessary actions to implement the decision.

The pension increase under paragraph one of the Finance Department’s letter issued in 2015 and the increase under paragraph two of the letter issued in 2011 have also been stopped.

Read more: ‘Pension is a huge burden on government’

The decision to affect a large number of retired government employees in Punjab, who were previously entitled to an annual increase in their pension.

On September 11, the Ministry of Finance issued notifications regarding three key amendments to the pension rules.

According to the notification, the family pension will now be limited to 10 years whereas if the pensioner dies, only legal heirs will be eligible to receive the pension transfer.

The notification stated that the spouse of a deceased pensioner will continue to receive a pension for 10 years after their death. Furthermore, if a deceased pensioner’s child is disabled, they will be eligible to receive pension for life.