Pension to be Held Without eKYC by August 31 – Face, Fingerprint & Iris Mandatory
If pensioners fail to complete their eKYC including face authentication, fingerprint, and iris scan by August 31, their pension will be placed on hold. This applies to approximately 350,000 pension beneficiaries who receive benefits under multiple government pension schemes.
The iris scan involves verifying the pensioner's eye biometrics. This requirement ensures that only eligible individuals continue to receive pensions, while ineligible or deceased individuals are removed from the system.
The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities has instructed all District Collectors, Panchayat CEOs, and Municipal Commissioners to ensure that all pensioners complete their eKYC on time using all available resources.
After August 31, pension accounts of those who have not completed their eKYC will be locked on the pension portal. The department noted that despite previous awareness campaigns, 3.5 lakh pensioners have still not undergone eKYC.
Why This Decision Was Taken
- The government wants to ensure that only eligible beneficiaries receive pension benefits.
- Digitally verified data through eKYC will improve accuracy and reduce fraud.
- Estimated savings of ₹20 to ₹25 crore if unverified pensions are held.
Applicable Pension Schemes
- Samagra Social Security Pension
- Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension
- Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension
- Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension
- Chief Minister Kanya Guardian Pension Scheme
Each scheme provides a monthly pension of ₹600. In the past, due to technical glitches in the pension portal developed by NIC (National Informatics Centre), some pensions were mistakenly stopped. These cases are now being resolved.
However, during the correction process and new eKYC round, it was discovered that about 3.5 lakh beneficiaries had never completed their biometric verification.