Rajasthan first state to verify 28,000 pensioners via face app

Rajasthan has emerged as the first state in the country to have carried out annual verification of 27,954 pensioners by using the recently launched face recognition system (RAJSSP) app.

Rajasthan first state to verify 28,000 pensioners via face app
Source: IANS

ARCHANA SHARMA

Jaipur, March 10 (IANS) Rajasthan has emerged as the first state in the country to have carried out annual verification of 27,954 pensioners by using the recently launched face recognition system (RAJSSP) app.

According to officials of social justice and empowerment department, over 94 lakh pensioners will benefit from this app.

"We want to give benefits of digital services to pensioners and beneficiaries of social security schemes and aim at making processes simpler and hassle free. Promising a transparent system coming up with doorstep availability of our schemes, we have launched this app, said Samit Sharma, secretary, social justice and empowerment department, Rajasthan.

The face app was launched on February 23 this year and by March 9, the department had made annual verification of 27,954 pensioners which is a record in itself, said officials.

Annual verification is conducted annually by the department to check if the beneficiary is alive. To receive the pension benefits on a regular basis, these pensioners were required to undergo an "Annual Verification" every year either by presenting themselves personally or by the help of E-Mitra or Point of Service.

The requirement to annual verification caused huge hardships particularly to the aged, specially abled and or/infirm pensioners. Hence, RajSSP Mobile Application was launched on February 15 for Annual Physical Verification of pensioners, said the officials.

The app has been introduced for face authentication-based annual verification which will use the Aadhar database for authentication. The facility of annual verification will be available to the pensioners sitting at home and it will save the government's time and money and also aid in reducing the chance of possible frauds.

Notably, the required verification can be done by anyone who has an android phone and the prescribed applications are installed.

The RajSSP uses the Aadhaar platform for face recognition-based authentication of the pensioner.