Punjab government again put the lifetime family pensions of Punjab widows and unmarried daughters of deceased government workers. New changes to the Punjab Civil Service Pension Rules have been issued out by the provincial finance department in the form of a new notification, restoring the previous option of life-long pension.
Last year, the administration had restricted family pensions to 10 years only after the death of the employee. The new ruling reverses such a constraint. Under the new legislation in a scenario where a departed employee has junior wives then the pension would be divided equally among all the widows. The entitlement will however stop, in the event that one of the widows marries.
This relief is also a major one to families as it was decided by the provincial cabinet led by CM Maryam Nawaz. Previously there had been strict measures that had been adopted by the Finance Ministry to control the rising health care costs. These were the reforms to halve the period of family pensions, to 25 years on special pensions, and to lifelong benefits on disabled children of retired employees.
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Through the new reform, the Punjab government has guaranteed continued funding on widows and unmarried daughters in Punjab, thus, reinstating their financial security which had been cut short.
