PENSIONERS did not get the expected relief in the budget for 2026-27 but the Government surely deserves credit for mitigating their agonies vis-à-vis receipt of monthly pension. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, on Thursday, launched a digital pension verification system that allows pensioners to complete the process remotely, ending the need for routine visits to banks and making pension disbursements faster and more convenient. The move is part of the government’s broader effort to digitize pension administration and reduce the paperwork by retired public sector employees.
This is, indeed, a major relief for senior citizens and widows who faced tremendous difficulties in the receipt of their monthly pensions due to biometric requirement as a proof of their life. In theory, it sounds OK to seek biometric verification of life twice a year (in March and September) to prevent fraudulent practices but in practice finger-print verification had become a Herculean task for most of the pensioners as finger-prints tend to fade or blur with the passage of time and this issue was common to those who do laborious physical activity. The pensioners were forced to visit banks frequently to complete the biometric process and the frequency of their visits increased as most of the time linkage between banks and NADRA was not stable. Pensioners of some departments faced additional difficulties as their organizations also required biometric verification for their own records. The digital verification will make the process more convenient while helping authorities maintain accurate pension records and prevent fraudulent or duplicate claims. According to Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, NADRA will issue a certificate, which will be automatically transferred to the office of Controller General of Accounts (CGA). Therefore, pensioners will not need to visit any office or bank. Hopefully, the system will be fully operational from next month (September) when pensioners are required to provide proof of life certificates for the coming six months.
