Honest pensioners subjected to avoidable hardships

File photo

Sir,

This is with reference to the letter on Pensioners’ Life Certificate (SOM dated Dec.8). My experience in this regard has been much more harrowing.

On my visit to the concerned Bank Branch, the official declined to accept my filled in prescribed form and asked me to approach the Post Office or Common Service Centre (CSC) near to my residence.

The Post Office staff visited my residence after 2-3 calls. He struggled with each of my 10 fingers twice to get the finger prints without success. He spent nearly 40 minutes. Ultimately, he gave up and asked me to submit my filled in form to the Bank as it is allowed this year and then to get my Aadhaar updated at Karnataka/MysoreOne Centre.

The Bank official could have saved me, an aged man (86+) one more trip to the Bank.

As suggested in this column on Dec. 8, the digital signature is brought into force perhaps for avoiding frauds. Does this mean all these years, fraud in pension disbursement has been widespread? If so, it must have been with the connivance of the officials of the Bank. It does also mean that Government or Bank authorities have been silent spectators. Now, the honest pensioners are subjected to avoidable hardships like this.

In these circumstances, it is suggested that aged pensioners (say 70+) may be given the option of following either of the old procedure or the new procedure (digital/biometric one) for providing the Life Certificate once a year.