Yogi govt scraps pension forms: UP seniors above 60 to get automatic pension

Lucknow (The Uttam Hindu): The Uttar Pradesh government made an important decision regarding old-age pensions at its cabinet meeting on Friday. Now, seniors over the age of 60 in the state will be able to receive pensions without the need to fill out any forms. Currently, this benefit is available to 6.75 million senior citizens.

The meeting was informed that under the "One Family, One Identity" scheme, the government will have complete data on all family members over the age of 60. Based on this, eligible seniors will automatically receive old-age pensions. The cabinet also approved several other important decisions.

Asim Arun, Minister of Social Welfare (Independent Charge), stated that the "One Family, One Identity" system will ensure automatic identification of beneficiaries through the family identity card. Pensions will be sanctioned after receiving the beneficiary's consent. He explained that the system will digitally track individuals who are close to 60 years of age and will send them a notification to initiate the consent process via SMS, WhatsApp, or phone call. Where digital consent is not available, officials or local assistants will contact them in person.

The minister stated that the pension approval process will be completed within 15 days of receiving consent, and the payment will be transferred directly to the Aadhaar-linked bank account. Furthermore, the Cabinet approved a proposal to simplify tenancy regulations, providing concessions in stamp duty and registration fees on rental agreements up to 10 years. Under the new provisions, the stamp duty on rental agreements up to ₹2 lakh for a period of one year has been reduced to ₹500.