History of PCDA (P) Allhabad

History of PCDA (P) Allhabad

Office of the Pr. Controller of Defence Accounts (Pensions) is one of the offices of the Defence Accounts Department under the Ministry of Defence, with the office of the Controller General of Defence Accounts, New Delhi as it's Head Quarters.

Office of the Pr. Controller of Defence Accounts (Pensions) has a long and chequered background with a glorious past. Before 1-4-1927, the grant and audit of pension payments was the responsibility of respective pension sections of various Controllers of Military Accounts. From 1-4-1927, the pension work relating to Northern and Eastern Commands was centralised in the office of the Controller of Military Pension Accounts, Northern and Eastern Commands at Lahore. An office similar to the one at Lahore was also formed at Mhow a little later for dealing with all pension claims of Southern and Western Commands. With a view of securing uniformity of procedures. with regard to sanction and audit to pension, both the Central Pension Offices at Lahore and Mhow were subsequently amalgamated and located at Lahore only.

The work relating to the grant and audit of pension of the personnel of Royal Indian Navy who were governed by Civil Service Regulations, was transferred to the Controller of Military Accounts (Pensions), Lahore w.e.f 1-11-1938. Similarly, the pension work relating to personnel of Military Accounts Department, serving in the office of Controller of Accounts, Air force, Dehradun was also transferred subsequently.

Due to the partition of the country on 15.8.1947, the office of the Controller of Military Accounts (Pensions), Lahore was also bifurcated and the pension work relating to Indian nationals was transferred to the office of the Controller of Military Accounts (Pensions), Allahabad in September 1947. The office commenced full-fledged functioning w.e.f 21.10.1947 under the administrative jurisdiction of the CGDA, New Delhi . The office was re-designated as CDA(P), Allahabad w.e.f. 8.9.1951.

The pension work relating to the establishment of CDA (Factories), Calcutta and also the Defence civilians employed in ordnance factories was transferred to the office of the CDA (P) Allahabad w.e.f. 17.1.52. Similarly, the pension work relating to the civilian personnel of Air force was also transferred in 1954.

The pension work relating to personnel of all the three wings of the armed forces and also the civilian employees serving in Defence establishments, was centralised at one place viz. Allahabad. This had been to secure uniformity in the application of rules and procedures regarding grant and audit of pension.

With a view to achieving promptness in settlement of pensionary entitlements of Naval and Air force personnel the work relating to grant of their pension was transferred to CDA (Navy), Mumbai and C.D.A. (Air force), New Delhi respectively w.e.f.1.11.85.

After undergoing a series of organisational changes, this office has been upgraded as the office of the Chief controller of Defence Accounts (pensions) w.e.f. 19.12.1988 and subsequently redesignated as the Principal Controller of Defence Accounts (Pensions), Allahabad w.e.f. 24.09.1999.