Bihar has completed annual life verification for 1.03 crore of its 1.16 crore social security pension beneficiaries, while more than 13.57 lakh people are yet to complete the mandatory process before the November 30 deadline, the state social welfare department said in a press statement issued on Wednesday.
The verification exercise covers beneficiaries receiving social security pensions, including senior citizens, widowed women and persons with disabilities. The department said payments could be suspended for beneficiaries who do not complete life verification by the stipulated deadline.
A life certificate is an official document confirming that a pensioner is alive. The annual exercise is intended to verify beneficiary records and maintain transparency in the pension distribution system, according to the department.
Social welfare department minister Shweta Gupta said the state government was committed to providing financial support to senior citizens, widowed women and persons with disabilities. She said completing life verification would help the department confirm beneficiary records and maintain transparency in pension distribution.
The figures indicate that approximately 88.8% of Bihar’s social security pension beneficiaries had completed the process when the department issued its statement. The remaining beneficiaries must complete verification before November 30 to avoid suspension of their pension payments, the department said.
District-level figures show Madhubani had completed verification for more than 5 lakh pensioners, placing it at the top in terms of verified beneficiaries. Patna followed with around 5 lakh, while East Champaran, Muzaffarpur and Samastipur had completed verification for more than 4 lakh pensioners each.
Patna had the highest overall beneficiary count, with more than 6 lakh people enrolled in the social security pension system. Madhubani, East Champaran, Muzaffarpur and Gaya each had more than 5 lakh beneficiaries, according to the department.
The pending exercise places the deadline at the centre of pension administration in the state. Beneficiaries who have not completed the annual verification must do so at the earliest, the department said, so that the records of all eligible pensioners can be verified within the stipulated time.
The social welfare department’s next stated milestone is completion of life verification for the remaining beneficiaries by November 30, after which pension payments may be suspended for those who have not completed the process.
