Retirees face significant difficulties when they go to Treasury offices to submit their life certificates, an essential verification to continue receiving their pension.

Scenes of elderly citizens, many over the age of 70, navigating long lines, facing mobility issues and facing verification issues due to aging are common.

For many, the delay in the verification process is due to biometric screening, which includes fingerprint scanning. This check often takes forever to read due to the natural wear and tear of fingerprints from age. Some elderly people cannot stand for too long and there is no proper seating arrangement in place.

Treasury Director Anand Kumar addressed these challenges, recognizing the difficulties retirees face. “In cases where people can’t come due to health or mobility issues, we try to send someone to their house to help with the verification,” he explained.

Kumar pointed out that there are three methods to submit the life certificate, including a digital submission option on the official website, where pensioners can check their status online.

However, only about 20-25% of retirees use this online method due to their lack of awareness of digital tools. This has left the majority of retirees dependent on physical visits to the office, often involving long hours of waiting in queues without adequate facilities, he added.

The reluctance of some retirees to use banks for submitting life certificates adds to the foot traffic at Treasury offices. Retirees like Vishwanath Prasad, who retired in 2016, prefer to visit the office personally.

“We can get life certificate forms from our bank, but I don’t trust them to send them to the department properly, so I come here myself to make sure it’s done,” Prasad explained.

Another retiree, Ashok Kumar Saxena, pointed out that he makes the trip every November, despite the challenges it entails.

The Treasury Department’s facilities are also insufficient to accommodate elderly visitors. Several retirees reported insufficient seating and limited staffing at counters, making the experience taxing for people with health and mobility issues.

A retiree who wished to remain anonymous, expressed problems and various problems related to the lack of chairs and help in filling out the forms, stressing that these basic accommodations would make the process less painful.

Another retiree said, “I have to run to the office several times to complete verification and other necessary formalities as my fingerprints are not read due to my age.”

Retirees living abroad can present their life certificates to local embassies. However, in India, lack of digital literacy and concerns over submission errors keep most senior citizens tied to the traditional in-person verification process at Treasury offices.

The Treasury Department continues to urge retirees who can access the Internet to use digital submission options to streamline the process, but, as of now, only a fraction of retirees are able to do so. This digital divide highlights the need for more user-friendly systems and perhaps more awareness or education to help retirees access these online services.

Until then, most will continue to endure the arduous journey to Treasury offices each year, hoping to maintain their essential retirement income without interruption.

District magistrate Suryapal Gangwar said, “There is no need to queue up anymore. People can now approach the nearest post office directly, from where a designated person will visit the pensioner’s home to carry out the verification and resolve any associated issues. He added: “The service will cost ₹70, and we are continually informing the public of this new, more convenient process.