CAG pushes faster rollout of OPTMS

The government is advancing efforts to modernise pension services through a new digital platform designed to improve transparency, accountability and efficiency for pensioners, with the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) calling for accelerated implementation of the system.

A progress review meeting on the Online Pension Tracking & Management System (OPTMS) was held at the CAG office on 22 June 2026 under the chairmanship of Comptroller and Auditor General of Bangladesh Nurul Islam.

Representatives from the Office of the Controller General of Accounts (CGA), the Office of the Controller General of Defence Finance (CGDF), and the Office of the Additional Director General (Finance), Bangladesh Railway, attended the meeting. During the session, officials presented the latest developments relating to OPTMS, a platform developed to digitise and automate pension-related activities before retirement.

According to the presentation, the initiative builds on the success of post-retirement automation programmes already introduced by the CGA, CGDF and the Office of the Additional Director General (Finance). The new system is intended to streamline pre-retirement procedures and provide greater visibility into pension processing.

Once operational, pensioners will be able to track the progress of their pension applications online, including identifying which office is handling the file and the stage of processing after submission of the pension application.

To ensure effective and timely implementation, Md. Nurul Islam instructed the CGA, CGDF and the Office of the Additional Director General (Finance), Bangladesh Railway, to maintain regular communication and extend full cooperation to the technical team working under the relevant component of the SPFMS programme.

The CAG also directed the CGDF and the Additional Director General (Finance) to incorporate recommendations provided by the CGA office into the OPTMS framework. He further instructed officials to quickly prepare and submit the relevant business process documents for Bangladesh Railway, exercise maximum caution regarding ELPC-related matters, and take necessary steps to reduce pensioners’ difficulties linked to service statement issues.

Expressing optimism about the project’s future, the Comptroller and Auditor General said coordinated efforts by all participating institutions would help transform OPTMS into a fully functional system in a short time.

He said the initiative is expected to provide pensioners across the country with more transparent, accountable and timely digital pension services.