Pension scheme: Ration card, passport can be used for age verification

Times News Network

Kanpur: The government has introduced a new arrangement for age
verification of elderly persons applying for old-age pension in urban
areas, providing relief to those who do not possess High School
certificates or Family Register records. Under the revised system,
applicants will now be able to establish their age through alternative
documents, including Ration card and Voter ID card.
District Magistrate Jitendra Pratap Singh said that according to an earlier
government order, the date of birth mentioned on Aadhaar card is not
treated as a valid proof of age for sanction of old-age pension. Due to
this provision, a large number of eligible elderly persons in urban areas
were facing difficulties as they neither possessed High School certificates
nor had entries in family registers.
Taking such cases into consideration, the government has now approved
alternative documents for age verification in urban areas. Applicants will
be able to verify their age on the basis of Ration Card, Voter ID card,
Driving Licence, Passport or PAN card.
The District Magistrate said that the applicant will have to submit a
self-declaration in the prescribed format stating that he or she does not
possess a High School educational certificate and that Family Register
facility is not available in the concerned urban area.
He further clarified that the new arrangement will be applicable only in
urban areas, while the earlier system for age verification will continue in
rural areas.