'Compassion is the foundation of good governance.' Illustrate with reference to grievance redressal in social security institutions.

Compassion in governance means treating each citizen's grievance as a matter of dignity, not as a file to be disposed of. Social security bodies serve the old, the poor and mobile workers, so they give practical meaning to Article 41's promise of help in old age. EPFO released "Shasan Vidhi Mein Karuna" (Compassion in Governance) on its 74th Foundation Day [1]. Its record shows both what compassion can achieve and where it still falls short.

Compassion in practice: examples from EPFO

• Proactive, claimless service: Inoperative accounts that are Aadhaar-verified and hold up to ₹1,000 are now settled automatically. EPFO acts first instead of waiting for a complaint [1].
• Speed as empathy: Auto-settled claims rose from 89.52 lakh to 1.87 crore in one year [2]. Advance claims up to ₹5 lakh are now auto-settled [3]. The average settlement time was 2.57 days in October 2026 [1].
• Reaching frail pensioners: EPS-95 pensioners can get Digital Life Certificates at their doorstep through India Post Payments Bank, with EPFO paying the cost [4].
• Accessible channels: A verified WhatsApp service shows balance and passbook details, so members need not visit an office [1].
• Institutional ethos: Bhavishya Nidhi Awards reward offices for good grievance management [1].

Where compassion is still incomplete

• Bias towards clean records: Auto-settlement needs matching Aadhaar and bank details [1]. Workers with mismatched records, often the poorest and most mobile, still have to chase their claims.
• Speed is not adequacy: The EPS-95 minimum pension has stayed at ₹1,000 a month since 2014 [5].
• Last-mile gap: The Labour Secretary has said social protection must still reach unorganised workers [1].
• Averages hide rejections: Official releases report how fast claims are settled, but not how many are rejected [1][2].

Way forward

• Publish rejection rates and the share of members with incomplete KYC, alongside speed.
• Use the IPPB postman network to help members correct KYC at their doorstep [4].
• Review the minimum pension periodically.

EPFO's reforms show that compassion can be built into an institution through technology, proactive delivery and empathetic grievance handling. Extending this care to excluded workers, through assisted KYC, honest metrics and adequate benefits, would turn efficiency into real care. It would also strengthen Article 41 and India's progress towards SDG 1.3 on social protection for all.