Lost PPO Number: How Can My Relative Retrieve It Without Traveling?

One of my relatives has lost her PPO No. (Pension Payment Order). Her husband worked as a Professor at Science College, Calcutta University, and passed away in 1997. She has been receiving her payments without any issues until this year when she faced difficulty filling out the Life Certificate form due to the absence of the PPO No. The SBI bank branch has refused to assist her. How can she retrieve her PPO No. with the help of pensioners' sites, etc.? She is unable to travel.

Has she lost the PPO number or the original PPO? If she has lost the original PPO, she should approach the employer and seek guidance to get a copy of the PPO.

This kind of problem does happen when a pensioner does not make a duplicate set of photocopies of documents while preserving the original carefully. It is also important to inform family members where each pension document is kept and explain the significance of each document.

She has misplaced the original PPO somewhere in her old house. Due to illness, she has relocated to a relative's place, and she has no memory of the document's location. Bank branches have the PPO number but are unhelpful. Given time, it may be retraced, but a Life Certificate needs to be provided in November 2015 to ensure continuity of Pension payment.

Any short-term solutions?

Short term solution is to meet the Branch Manager and request his help. Is she fit enough to go to the bank? Otherwise, go to the college and seek help.

We got in touch with Calcutta University, the original employer, and they are very helpful. They have provided a new form and requested dispatch by mail. This will solve the problem to a major extent.

Thanks very much to all who have taken interest in the matter and suggested ways for a solution.