No. 1(9)/2021-P&PW(H)-7472
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare
8th Floor, B-Wing,
Janpath Bhawan, Janpath,
New Delhi-110001
Dated: 22th September, 2021
OFFICE MEMORANDUM
Subject: – Compliance of Covid protocols while obtaining Life Certificates from Pensioners.
In view of the Covid pandemic, all Pension Disbursing Banks are advised to ensure proper social distancing measures, as well as compliance of Covid appropriate behavior, while obtaining life certificates from pensioners/family pensioners who physically visit the branches. Officials deployed for this task should be fully vaccinated and should take the highest possible care while attending to Pensioners. Banks are also requested to devise their own innovative mechanisms to avoid rush at the branches during submission of life certificates.
- Doorstep Banking service, which also includes collection of Digital Life Certificate from the home of pensioners, caters to a very vulnerable group w.r.t the pandemic. It may be ensured that all representatives of the Banks who visit the homes of the pensioners to obtain Life Certificates should be fully vaccinated. They should be equipped with a proper mask and sanitizer and should be advised to follow the highest possible care while obtaining the Life Certificate through bio-metric devices. These biometric devices shall be sanitized by the representative before and after each use. These instructions shall also be applicable to Postmen and Gramin Dak sevaks deployed for “Doorstep Service for submission of Life Certificate” by India Post Payments bank (IPPB).
- As senior pensioners (aged 80 years and above) are scheduled to submit Life Certificate from 1 October, 2021 onward, all Pension disbursing banks are also requested to enable Video based Customer Identification Process (V-CIP) methodology of Life Certificate, within the permissible RBI guidelines, before October, 2021. In the current pandemic, this option will ensure adequate safety and “Ease of living” for senior pensioners.
This issues with the approval of the competent authority.
(Kajesh Kumar)
Under Secretary to the Government of India
