Telangana Removes Over 4.71 Lakh Names from Cheyutha Pension List, Adds 1.29 Lakh New Beneficiaries
The individuals were either deceased or found ineligible to receive benefits under the scheme. The exercise was carried out using Aadhaar-based biometric verification and facial recognition technology.
The Telangana government has removed the names of 4,71,035 individuals from the Cheyutha pension scheme since December 2023.
The individuals were either deceased or found ineligible to receive benefits under the scheme. The exercise was carried out using Aadhaar-based biometric verification and facial recognition technology.
According to details, Telangana had 43,55,649 Cheyutha pension beneficiaries when the present government assumed office in December 2023. Following verification and scrutiny conducted in different phases, the names of 4,71,035 individuals were removed from the pension list. However, during the same period, the government also approved pensions for 1,29,327 new beneficiaries.
SERP Director Divya Devarajan said officials had been conducting door-to-door verification of pension beneficiaries over the past several years. During the exercise, nearly 95 per cent of the ineligible entries were found to belong to deceased individuals, while the remaining five per cent included government employees who were not eligible for the scheme.
She clarified that the names of genuine and eligible pension beneficiaries had not been removed during the verification process.
Apart from deceased beneficiaries, the government also removed the names of retired employees who were receiving pensions through the Integrated Financial Management and Information System (IFMIS). Officials also identified employees associated with SERP, CRD and GHMC who were not eligible to receive benefits under the Cheyutha scheme.
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The verification exercise was initiated following observations made in a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), which highlighted the need to remove deceased and ineligible individuals from the pension list. Continuing pension payments in the names of ineligible beneficiaries was identified as a financial irregularity.
To improve transparency and ensure that pension benefits reach the right people, the government introduced Aadhaar-based facial recognition and fingerprint biometric verification systems. Special mobile applications and fingerprint authentication technology were used to verify beneficiaries receiving pensions through both postal and banking channels.
These measures were aimed at preventing pension payments from continuing in the names of individuals who had passed away.
The government maintains that special care was taken throughout the verification exercise to ensure that genuine beneficiaries were not deprived of their pensions.
Meanwhile, 1,29,327 new beneficiaries have been added to the Cheyutha pension scheme since December 2023. Following the removal of ineligible names and the inclusion of new beneficiaries, the number of active pension recipients in Telangana has come down to approximately 40.50 lakh.
Officials said the pension database is being continuously updated, and the total number of beneficiaries may vary slightly as verification and enrolment processes continue.
