Telangana: Biometric ID takes life out of pensioners

Hyderabad: Fingerprints as biometric identification should not be the thumb rule for senior citizens to claim pension benefits as their fingerprints wear out with age. Many of them face hurdles while claiming the Aasara pension, initiated by the state government. “There are several other IDs. We have ration cards, voter IDs, driving licences, etc. These are issued after a thorough verification. Where is the need for the government to doubt its own IDs issued to us and insist on biometricts,” P. Vijaya Laxmi, a 65-year-old resident of Tarnaka said angrily. She could not claim her pension for the last two months after her ‘life certificate’ was not accepted as the biometric device failed to read her fingerprints.

Senior citizens are asked to use fingerprints to authenticate their Aadhaar details to get Rs 1,000 per month under the Aasara pension scheme. However, the machines at government offices and in Mee Seva centres fail to read their fingerprints as fingerprints have almost vanished with the age.  Denied of the benefits, they are forced to return empty-handed. Left with little choice, they have asked the government to skip the biometric identification to claim the pension benefits.

Last week, the Supreme Court extended the Aadhaar linkage with welfare schemes till March 31 and it is yet to be implemented at the ground-level. Government officials continue to insist on Aadhaar details for authentication, saying that the rule came into force two years ago and the state government has not issued any communication to exempt the Aadhaar linkage.

Adding to the woes of senior citizens,  officials are insisting on biometric-based life certificates for the annual verification. These life certificates prove that they are alive and genuine to claim the pension benefits. Both Telangana and AP follow this model. “Those who failed in the biometric identification are sent home without acknowledging their life certificates. The government must be practical enough to understand the genuine problems of pensioners. We request the government to revert to the old practice,” said A. Balasubramaniam, a senior citizen in East Marredpally.