UPension App Ushers in Unified Pension Access
A new mobile application, ‘UPension’, has been launched to manage retirement benefits for government employees under the Universal Pension Scheme (UPS). The initiative, taken by the National Pension Authority, was inaugurated on Wednesday, August 13, at the Secretariat by Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed, Adviser on Finance and Science & Technology.
The event was presided over by Dr. Md. Khairuzzaman Mozumder, Secretary of the Finance Division, and attended by Md. Abdur Rahman Khan, Chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR); Nazma Mobarek, Secretary of the Financial Institutions Division; and Md. Mohiuddin Khan, Executive Chairman of the National Pension Authority.
Speakers noted that from now on, anyone can easily complete automatic registration for the Universal Pension Scheme via the website and make payments through online banking, credit/debit cards, or mobile financial services (MFS).
Following the launch, Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed said, “The Pension Authority has done a good job by introducing this app. It must be made even more user-friendly so that pensioners benefit from it. We are trying our best to move forward, and we are not in a bad position. In that sense, the launch of the UPension App is a step forward.”
On the pension scheme itself, he remarked, “I think this is a very good initiative. We will try to resolve any problems quickly, and of course, people must be made aware that they will benefit from such schemes.”
He added, “This may be a small step, but one day it will bear fruit.”
Emphasizing the transformation of Bangladesh into a welfare state, Dr. Ahmed said the reasons why people from all professions are not joining the Universal Pension Scheme would be examined. He noted that the inclusion of government employees and university teachers was under consideration. “If there are errors, they will be corrected, and there will be extensive publicity about the scheme,” he said.
The Finance Adviser also announced, “The initiative has been taken to split the NBR into two parts. This change will take effect by December. At that time, the name NBR may no longer exist, and instead, there will be two separate units — the Revenue Management Division and the Policy Division.” He explained that this reform aims to separate revenue collection and policy formulation into distinct management structures to enhance efficiency and transparency.
