Context: Recently, U.P Cabinet approved a proposal under which old-age pension beneficiaries will be automatically identified through the ‘Family ID-One Family, One Identification System’, and benefits will be transferred directly.
More on the news:
- The Minister of State for Social Welfare stated that 67.50 lakh senior citizens in the state are currently receiving benefits under the National Old Age Pension Scheme, yet many eligible elderly individuals remain deprived because they are unable to complete the application process.
- To address this, Social Welfare Department will automatically identify eligible elderly people from the details available on the Family ID and their old age pension will automatically start from the month they complete 60 years of age.
Proposed Implementation of the Old Age Pension Scheme
- Estimated beneficiaries and Expenditure: More than 825,000 elderly people of the state will benefit from this and the government will bear an additional expenditure of Rs 990 crore on the scheme.
- Digital and Automated Consent Process: The Social Welfare Department will first contact eligible seniors through digital means (SMS, WhatsApp, phone calls, etc.) to obtain their consent for the scheme’s benefits.
- In the automated identification process, eligible citizens will visit the pension portal, either on their own or with assistance, to provide their consent and biometrics.
- This work can also be accomplished through the Gram Panchayat Assistant or the Common Service Center. Door-to-door service delivery by the Common Service Center will also be available.
About Family ID- ‘One Family, One Identification System’
- Launched: By the Government of Uttar Pradesh in July 2022.
- Aim: To ensure that every household has access to employment opportunities and welfare benefits.
- Unique family Id: Under this initiative, each family receives a unique 12-digit Family ID, enabling the creation of a real-time, comprehensive database to support the targeted delivery of government schemes and services.
- Currently, the state has approximately 3.6 crore families and 15 crore Aadhaar-verified Ration Card holders.
- For these families, the Ration Card number serves as their Family ID and can be accessed through the official Registration Portal.
- Families without a RationCard can generate a new Family ID by registering on the portal and adding details of all family members.
