Politics · India Bureau
Delhi launches verification drive to purge ineligible old-age pension recipients
Delhi authorities have commenced a sweeping audit of its old-age pension scheme to eliminate ineligible beneficiaries and duplicate claimants. The verification process, which covers approximately 4.4 lakh senior citizens, is expected to free up between 20-25 per cent of existing allocations.
LSN India ·
The Delhi government has initiated a door-to-door biometric verification exercise to identify and remove ineligible beneficiaries from its old-age pension roll, officials confirmed on Saturday. The verification drive, which had faced delays due to regulatory hurdles around Aadhaar-based authentication, is now proceeding after securing necessary approvals for third-party verification agencies.
According to a senior government functionary, the verification process is expected to be completed within three months. The exercise aims to remove deceased beneficiaries, eliminate duplicate enrollments, and identify individuals receiving other government assistance alongside old-age pension benefits.
"We expect to create 20-25 per cent vacancies out of the total 4.4 lakh beneficiaries after weeding out the deceased and duplicate beneficiaries getting other government assistance," the official stated.
Under Delhi's current pension structure, senior citizens aged 60-69 years receive a monthly stipend of Rs 2,000, while those aged 70 and above are eligible for Rs 2,500 monthly. The purge is aimed at ensuring that available resources are directed toward genuinely eligible recipients and to strengthen the scheme's fiscal sustainability.