India promises free pension services, but old tech stays
A payments bank operated by the postal service has partnered with the retirement fund administrator to offer digital life certificate services at the homes of retirees, according to an announcement made on Monday. The agreement between India Post Payments Bank and the Employees Provident Fund Organisation will allow pensioners enrolled in the 1995 pension program to verify their status without traveling to branch locations or government offices.
The payments bank will deploy more than 300,000 postal workers across 165,000 locations to complete the verification process using facial recognition and fingerprint scanning technology at pensioners’ residences. The retirement fund will cover all costs associated with certificate issuance, making the service available at no charge to beneficiaries. R Viswesvaran, the chief executive of the payments bank, stated the arrangement supports government efforts to expand digital access and improve the quality of life for older citizens through the postal infrastructure network.
The doorstep verification program was launched in 2020 using biometric authentication linked to national identity cards. After completing the authentication process, retirees receive a text message confirmation and can access their certificates online the following day.
