Aadhaar-Based e-KYC Mandatory For All Resident Pensioners By December 31, 2026; NRI Pensioners Exempted
CHANDIGARH: Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Thursday announced a series of new digital initiatives under the Pensioner Sewa Portal (PSP), including mandatory Aadhaar-based e-KYC for all registered resident pensioners by December 31, 2026, and a dedicated WhatsApp chatbot facility for NRI pensioners.
Highlighting the transformative success of the portal since its launch on November 1, 2025, the Finance Minister said that the platform has digitised over 3 lakh pension records, facilitated nearly 3 lakh Digital Life Certificates and processed pension disbursements worth approximately ₹12,000 crore, making pension administration more transparent, efficient and accessible.
Addressing a press conference at Punjab Bhawan, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said, “The Pensioner Sewa Portal, launched on November 1, 2025, is a flagship digital governance initiative of the Government of Punjab that transforms traditional pension administration into a unified, secure and transparent ecosystem. Within just six months, the platform has successfully enabled approximately 3 lakh Digital Life Certificates, 1.7 lakh e-KYCs and 1.3 lakh online services, while processing pension disbursements of nearly ₹12,000 crore.”
Sharing detailed figures regarding the portal’s performance, the Finance Minister said, “A total of 3.05 lakh pension records and 3.50 lakh PPO PDFs have been successfully digitised. Our system has processed a massive volume of requests, including 2,98,993 Jeevan Pramaan Patra (JPP) completions, 1,73,211 KYC applications and 49,663 Leave Travel Concession (LTC) applications.”
He further informed that the portal has handled 36,000 JPP data reconfirmation requests, processed 14,359 online pension cases from District Treasury Offices (DTOs) to banks and facilitated the downloading of 1.8 lakh pension slips.
Additionally, Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that the platform has successfully managed 4,250 pensioner grievances, 1,005 treasury or bank change requests, 284 correction detail requests and 7,500 succession death applications.
Elaborating on the benefits of the portal, he said, “End-to-end digitisation ensures that every pensioner receives their entitlements on time by eliminating delays and inconsistencies.”
Minister Harpal Singh Cheema emphasised that integration with the Jeevan Pramaan facility has enabled pensioners to submit Digital Life Certificates from the comfort of their homes, increasing adoption from 6% to 96% and eliminating the need for physical visits to treasuries.
“Through a unique fusion of JPP-based e-KYC and Jeevan Pramaan data, we have also enabled dual verification for fraud prevention,” said the Finance Minister.
He further stated that automated calculation of payments has helped identify underpaid pensioners, leading to an increase in their pension amounts as the pilot initiative is scaled up.
Highlighting the convenience offered by the portal, Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that pensioners can view their personal particulars, access online services with a maximum delivery timeline of 21 days and track the real-time status of their applications. “Punjab is redefining pension governance for the nation, with neighbouring states like Haryana exploring our system and Rajasthan receiving a demonstration of this end-to-end paperless ecosystem,” he said.
Announcing the new policy initiative, Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said, “From this November onwards, Aadhaar-based e-KYC shall be mandatory for all pensioners registered on the portal.”
The Finance Minister clarified that all resident pensioners must complete the e-KYC process on or before December 31, 2026, while NRI pensioners have been exempted from this requirement for now.
He said that the process takes just two minutes and can be completed through the official online portal or by visiting a District Treasury Office, a pension-disbursing bank or a Sewa Kendra.
Announcing a dedicated digital outreach initiative for pensioners residing overseas, Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said, “With a view to extending convenient digital services to our pensioners residing overseas, we are introducing a dedicated WhatsApp chatbot facility for NRI pensioners.”
Minister Harpal Singh Cheema added, “This facility will allow NRI pensioners to conveniently submit their Manual Life Certificates, eliminating procedural difficulties and the need for physical visits.”