Govt launches online pension tracking system to ease pensioners’ woes

The government has launched the Online Pension Tracking and Management System (OPTMS) to streamline pension services, reduce processing delays and ensure transparency for retired public servants.

State Minister for Public Administration and Food Md Abdul Bari inaugurated a workshop on the OPTMS at the Ministry of Public Administration at the Bangladesh Secretariat yesterday, according to a press release issued today (24 June).

Speaking as the chief guest, the state minister said the new digital platform would help end the long-standing sufferings of pensioners during the application and sanction processes while enhancing transparency and accountability in public service delivery.

He said retired government employees often face delays, procedural complexities and repeated office visits while processing pension-related matters.

"Once OPTMS becomes fully operational, pensioners will be able to track and manage their applications digitally, significantly reducing processing time and harassment," he said.

The workshop was organised by the Scheme on Pension, Fund Management, and Quality and Timeliness of Financial Reporting under the Strengthening Public Financial Management Programme to Enable Service Delivery (SPFMS) of the Finance Division.

Abdul Bari said providing government services online without requiring citizens to visit offices physically could become a powerful tool in curbing corruption.

He also expressed concern over pensioners who surrendered 100% of their pension benefits, saying their families remain ineligible for reinstatement if the pensioner dies before completion of the 15-year restoration period.

He suggested reviewing the policy to ensure fairness for affected families.

Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration Md Ehsanul Hoque chaired the workshop, while Finance Division Secretary Md Khairuzzaman Mozumder and Controller General of Accounts S M Rezvi attended it as special guests.

Additional Secretary (Budget-1) and National Programme Director of SPFMS Ziaul Abedin delivered the welcome address. Mahfuza Begum, programme executive and coordinator of the pension scheme under SPFMS, presented the keynote paper.

Ehsanul Hoque said the absence of a comprehensive database of government employees had long complicated pension sanction procedures.

Maintaining an updated employee database would significantly simplify pension approvals, he said, adding that a dedicated help desk for pensioners could further improve access to services.

Khairuzzaman Mozumder said many government employees become vulnerable after retirement and the OPTMS would strengthen their confidence by ensuring hassle-free pension services.

He said the system would initially be piloted at the Ministry of Public Administration for regular pension cases involving serving employees before being gradually expanded to the Finance Division, the Office of the Controller General of Accounts, other ministries, departments and field-level offices.

The finance secretary also suggested considering the introduction of a "One Rank, One Pension" system to reduce disparities among retirees and strengthen their financial security.

S M Rezvi said substantial progress had already been made in post-retirement pension management through digital services.

He said strengthened monitoring mechanisms at the Office of the Controller General of Accounts had improved transparency and accountability in pension administration.

Ziaul Abedin highlighted advancements made through iBAS++, including automation of General Provident Fund management, post-pension benefits, asset management, TA/DA processing, Family Card and Farmer Card databases, and the Last Pay Certificate module.

He expressed optimism that OPTMS would further streamline pre-retirement pension processing and improve service delivery for employees nearing retirement.