Pension applicants face server glitches, certificate delays
Applicants seeking social security pensions are struggling to complete the application process, with server glitches at village and ward secretariats and delays in obtaining mandatory caste and income certificates adding to their woes.
With September 16 being the last date for applications, beneficiaries have only two working days, September 15 and 16, to complete the process. The intervening days include September 12, the second Saturday, September 13, a Sunday, and September 14, a holiday for Vinayaka Chavithi.
Applicants said repeated server problems were preventing them from uploading certificates and completing their applications at the secretariats. They are now worried that the rush could intensify on September 15 and 16, putting further pressure on the system.
“We are worried that the server may not function properly when a large number of applicants turn up,” an applicant said.
The requirement to submit caste and income certificates has compounded the problem. Applicants said the online system does not allow them to proceed unless at least one of the mandatory certificates is uploaded. As a result, several applicants have been making repeated trips to tahsildar offices to obtain the documents.
Officials said issuing a certificate normally takes at least a week as the applications have to undergo verification. The heavy inflow of applications could lead to further delays, they said.
“Certificates will be issued only after the required verification,” officials said.
The problem is particularly acute for elderly applicants, daily-wage labourers and construction workers who do not have earlier caste certificates. Many of them said they were finding it difficult to make repeated visits to government offices and urged the authorities to introduce a mechanism for issuing certificates to eligible applicants without delay.
Widows face rice card hurdle
Widow pension applicants are facing another problem, with the names of deceased husbands continuing to remain on several rice cards.
Applicants said changes to rice cards have reportedly not been permitted for nearly two years. As a result, widow pension applications are not being uploaded in cases where the deceased husband’s details continue to appear on the card.
Widows have urged the authorities to provide an option to remove the names of deceased family members from rice cards so that their pension applications can be processed before the September 16 deadline.
With the deadline only days away, applicants have called for immediate intervention to resolve the server issues, speed up the issuance of certificates, and address the rice card-related problems.