Government Launches Online Pension Tracking System to Simplify Services for Pensioners

The government has introduced an Online Pension Tracking and Management System (OPTMS) aimed at streamlining pension services, reducing processing delays, and enhancing transparency for retired public servants.

The digital platform was unveiled on Tuesday at a workshop held at the Bangladesh Secretariat, where State Minister for Public Administration and Food Md Abdul Bari inaugurated the programme, according to a press release.

Addressing the event as chief guest, Abdul Bari said the system would help eliminate long-standing difficulties faced by pensioners in obtaining pension approvals and benefits, while strengthening transparency and accountability in public service delivery.

He noted that retired government employees often endure delays, cumbersome procedures and repeated visits to offices to complete pension-related formalities. Once fully operational, the OPTMS will allow pensioners to submit applications, track their status and manage pension-related processes online, significantly reducing processing times and unnecessary hassles, he added.

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

Highlighting the broader benefits of digital governance, the state minister said delivering government services online without requiring citizens to visit offices could play a significant role in reducing corruption.

He also raised concerns about pensioners who opt to surrender 100 percent of their pension benefits, noting that their families are not eligible for reinstatement of benefits if the pensioner dies before the completion of the 15-year restoration period. He suggested reviewing the policy to ensure greater fairness for affected families.

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

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

Ehsanul Hoque said the lack of a comprehensive database of government employees had long complicated pension approval procedures. Maintaining an updated employee database, along with establishing a dedicated help desk for pensioners, would make pension services more efficient and accessible, he said.

Khairuzzaman Mozumder observed that many government employees face financial uncertainty after retirement and said the OPTMS would bolster their confidence by ensuring smooth and 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 proposed examining the feasibility of a “One Rank, One Pension” framework to reduce disparities among retirees and strengthen their financial security.

S M Rezvi said significant progress had already been made in digitising post-retirement pension management. Enhanced monitoring by the Office of the Controller General of Accounts, he added, has improved transparency and accountability in pension administration.

Dr Ziaul Abedin highlighted the advances made through the iBAS++ platform, including the automation of General Provident Fund (GPF) management, post-retirement benefits, asset management, TA/DA processing, Family Card and Farmer Card databases, and the Last Pay Certificate (LPC) module.

He expressed confidence that the OPTMS would further simplify pre-retirement pension processing and improve services for employees approaching retirement.

According to the keynote presentation, the new system will allow government employees to apply for pensions online, monitor the movement of files in real time and complete pre-retirement pension formalities without repeatedly visiting government offices.

By integrating with iBAS++, the platform will automatically retrieve service records and financial information, reducing manual data entry and minimising errors.

Officials noted that pension payments through Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT), life verification and pension statements have already been digitised. The OPTMS is expected to extend digitalisation to the more complex pre-retirement phase through a fully online workflow.

Under the system, employees will receive SMS alerts around 11 months before the start of their post-retirement leave, enabling them to submit applications, upload required documents and track progress online. Welfare officers and approving authorities will process applications through the platform.

The workshop also reviewed challenges related to office mapping, no-objection certificates (NOCs), manual record-keeping, audit objections and legal issues. Participants expressed optimism that the OPTMS would deliver faster, more transparent and citizen-friendly pension services across government institutions.