The portal will have a feature for a pensioner to upload his biometric details like fingerprints, from his home or anywhere through internet to enable him in generating a digital life certificate.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh said that a new portal to facilitate lakhs of pensioners in getting digital life certificates and other beneficiary features will soon be made functional.
“A pension portal is being finalised. Very soon it will be done,” he said while inaugurating a two-day national workshop on best practices in citizen-centric governance in New Delhi.
There are about 56 lakh pensioners. The Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, said the portal will have a feature for a pensioner to upload his biometric details like fingerprints, from his home or anywhere through internet to enable him in generating a digital life certificate.
A pension disbursing bank can access the portal to get digital life certificate, the Minister said. He said that it will have an option for the pensioner to link his Aadhaar number with the life certificate. “Though it will be an option. Pensioners can also give hard copy of life certificate to the pension disbursing banks in case they do not want to take the option of digital life certificate,” Singh said.
A pensioner has to visit bank annually for submission of life certificates to ensure continuation of his pension. “This too is one of the revolutionary steps of the present government which will undo the practice of producing a life certificate which an elderly pensioner was required to produce from time to time. The new provision will not only make the process easier but will also be a befitting tribute to the dignity of the elder citizens of this country,” he said.
He also asked the representatives of the state governments and union territories to promote self-attestation of documents.