New Delhi, Oct. 28 -- The Delhi government has launched a three-month verification drive to review the eligibility of around 4.4 lakh senior citizens receiving old-age pensions, with officials expecting that 20-25 per cent of the existing beneficiary list could be cleared after the exercise.

The door-to-door survey began on Sunday and will focus on identifying deceased beneficiaries, duplicate entries and individuals receiving financial assistance from other government schemes, according officials.

The verification will be conducted by the Social Welfare Department with assistance from the Common Service Centre (CSC) network. The department signed an agreement with CSC earlier this year to facilitate the exercise through its network of approximately 6,000 centres across Delhi.

During household visits, survey teams will authenticate beneficiaries using fingerprint and iris scanning devices. Their live photographs will also be captured, while electronic records will be updated as part of the process.

The exercise had faced delays earlier because permission for Aadhaar-based authentication through a third-party agency was unavailable. A senior government functionary told the media that the process could now proceed after the necessary approval was secured.

Officials have indicated that pension payments will not be immediately affected while the verification is underway. Under the existing scheme, eligible residents aged 60-69 receive Rs 2,000 per month, while those aged 70 and above are entitled to Rs 2,500 monthly.

Applicants must be at least 60 years old, have an annual family income below Rs.1 lakh and have lived in Delhi for a minimum of five years. They must also not be receiving pensions or financial assistance from another government source.

The government expects the verification to help establish a more accurate beneficiary database and identify payments being made to ineligible recipients. The anticipated reduction of 20-25 per cent, however, remains an estimate and will depend on the findings of the survey.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.