Pension Services: Technology Has Improved Pensioners’ Convenience, Says Jitendra Singh

Digital technology has been a key component in bringing reforms to the pension landscape, whether by reducing the administrative burden on the system or providing easier access to pension services for retirees. Speaking at the 9th National ANUBHAV Awards Ceremony-2026 and the 60th Pre-Retirement Counselling Workshop at Vigyan Bhawan on Monday, Union Minister of State for Personnel, Jitendra Singh, said that ongoing pension reforms are aimed at enhancing ease of living for pensioners and improving the overall efficiency of the administrative system.  The minister highlighted how technology-driven service delivery has already resulted in saving both manpower and financial resources.

Technological advancements such as digital life certificate (DLC) and face authentication have been at the centre of reforms that have replaced the requirements of physical verification with an easier digital process. This initiative has evolved into a public campaign, supported by banks, government departments, and pensioners’ associations. Further, the Bhavishya portal and integrated information services have also simplified pension processing, and pension adalats have been instrumental in providing on-the-spot grievance resolution.

He highlighted the systemic efforts to simplify pension-related processes and the aim to remove unnecessary provisions from forms and set streamlined processes in place to make the system more responsive. He specifically noted that family pension provisions have been changed to align with current social realities, such as including eligible daughters and other family members in the expanded provisions. He maintained that the pension system must remain in a continuous reform mode, based on the feedback and experiences of pensioners and others it serves.

Emphasising that retirees' experience is an asset for society and their feedback is important to improve policies and administrative practices, he released a Handbook on Pension Mitra, Anubhav Awardees’ Citation Booklet and Guidelines for the Nationwide Digital Life Certificate Campaign-5.

Notably, the Anubhav Portal is for government retirees, where they can share their institutional experiences. The portal serves as a pool of feedback for the government to improve its processes. According to a report by PTI, more than 14,000 experiences have been shared on the portal to date, and over 2,000 nominations were received for the awards in 2026, the highest number since the program's inception in 2015.

The 60th pre-retirement counselling workshop, which covered topics ranging from CGHS facilities and investment choices to cyber security and income-tax issues for about-to-retire personnel, is another ongoing initiative that supported approximately 800 central government officials who are scheduled for retirement in March 2027.

Nivedita Shukla Verma, Secretary of the Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare, underscored that the platform has become a vital tool to capture the expertise of retired officials who have served for decades in public service.

The minister pointed out that many employees retiring at 60 are in good physical health and have decades of experience, and the government is eager to tap this by creating avenues for their continuous engagement.