# Delhi govt starts verification of 4.4 lakh old-age pension beneficiaries 2026-10-24T19:26:29+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Delhi government has launched a door-to-door verification drive to identify ineligible beneficiaries of its old-age pension scheme, which covers around 4.4 lakh senior citizens, officials said on Saturday, 24 October 2026. The exercise was delayed after permission for Aadhaar authentication via a third party was initially not granted. Now, with approval in place, the Common Service Centre (CSC) is conducting biometric verification using fingerprint and iris scanners at beneficiaries' homes. The drive is expected to conclude in three months. Officials anticipate that 20 to 25 per cent of the 4.4 lakh beneficiaries will be removed after weeding out deceased persons and those receiving duplicate government assistance. The scheme provides a monthly pension of Rs 2,000 for those aged 60 to 69 and Rs 2,500 for those aged 70 and above. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The verification drive directly affects 4.4 lakh elderly residents, with one in four likely to lose the monthly pension that ranges from Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500. The door-to-door biometric authentication, including fingerprint and iris scans, shifts the burden of proof onto beneficiaries at home, but the three-month timeline leaves unresolved how housebound or infirm applicants without valid biometrics will be handled. The CSC network of 6,000 centres will carry out the survey, and the final list of vacancies will determine the scheme's revised coverage. ## Coverage - business-standard.com Straight news agency-style report, no framing or slant detected. This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Common Service Centre, Delhi government, social welfare department Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/delhi-govt-starts-verification-of-4-4-lakh-old-age-pension-beneficiaries/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/delhi-govt-starts-verification-of-4-4-lakh-old-age-pension-beneficiaries/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/