India is trying to make it safer for people to collect their pensions during the COVID-19 pandemic. In that regard, the country noted that the vast majority of people collection pensions are in the high-risk over-60 group.
With that in mind, the government is moving away from the former system, which forced pensioners to line up at a local pension office to submit a Jeevan Pramaan Digital Life Certificate. Under the new system, those pensioners will be able to place a request through a PostInfo app, in which case the government will send a postal worker to the person’s doorstep to collect the certificate. The service will allow pensioners to submit their certificate without leaving their home during the pandemic, though it is worth noting that the request does come with a service fee of 70 rupees.
While staying at home is the safest option, pensioners can still head out to submit Jeevan Pramaan at post offices, banks, and Mee Seva service centers. In each case, they will need to provide an Aadhaar number and a mobile number, and a Pension Payment Order, in addition to any details concerning the type of pension and the agencies involved in its sanctioning and distribution. After that, the pensioners’ identities will be verified biometrically through fingerprint or iris recognition.
India has also updated its pension guidelines to make the process more convenient. In the past, pensioners had to submit their certificate online in November or December. Now, they will be able to do so at any time of the year, and those certificates will be valid for 12 months once they are received.
NEXT Biometrics has previously provided fingerprint sensors for the Jeevan Pramaan pension program. Those sensors are distributed through NEXT’s partnership with AqTronic.
Sources: Deccan Chronicle, The Hindu
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November 5, 2020 – by Eric Weiss
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