Govt tightens noose around ghost pensioners

ISLAMABAD: In a move to streamline the pension payment system, the federal government on Thursday tightened noose around ghost pensioners and declared bio-metric verification mandatory, ARY News reported.

Under the new system, pensioners drawing pensions under the federal treasury rules will undergo biometric verification every year in the months of March and October.

In case the pensioner is unable to undergo biometric verification due to infirmity, he/she will provide a life certificate signed by a person authorised under rules every six months.

According to the document, government has also banned joint bank accounts and if a pensioner does not draw a pension for consecutive six months, his/her account will become inactive.

The federal cabinet last year had increased the pension from Rs6,500 to 8,5000.

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