Rastriya Kitabkhana Launches e-Pension Service in Nepal
The Rastriya Kitabkhana (Civil Service) has launched an online-based e-Pension service. With this, government employees heading for mandatory retirement or retiring after resignation will no longer be required to visit the Kitabkhana to complete pension or gratuity procedures.
Shravan Kumar Pokharel, Director General of the Kitabkhana, said that with the implementation of the e-Pension service, the office has become fully “faceless.” According to him, employees retiring from any government office across the country will now be able to obtain their pension certificate without having to visit the Kitabkhana. In the past, employees had to come to the Kitabkhana repeatedly just to process the pension certificate.
According to available data, around 2,200 employees receive mandatory retirement each year, while 975 resign or retire for various reasons. On average, 3,275 employees will directly benefit from this service annually.
How the Online Process Works
Under the new system, the Treasury and Accounts Controller Offices (Kolenika) in all 77 districts have been assigned responsibility as facilitators for the e-Pension service. After a retiring employee uploads the required details online, the Kolenika office will update the records.
Once the details are entered into the system by Kolenika, employees at the Kitabkhana review the documents on their computer screens. If the documents and details are correct, the Kitabkhana applies a digital seal and signature online and sends the pension certificate back through the system to the concerned Kolenika office. The Kolenika office then prints the document and provides the pension certificate to the service recipient. If any details differ or are incomplete, the concerned person will be contacted and assisted accordingly.
After receiving the documents from Kolenika, the service recipient can go to the bank of their choice and open a pension account along with documents related to accumulated leave and medical treatment benefits.
Additional Service Option
A new option has also been introduced to make the service more technology-friendly. Director General Pokharel said that if the head of any office wants to provide e-Pension service directly from their own office to an employee whose retirement or resignation has been approved there, that office can be granted such facility on a one-time basis.
