The Punjab government has made Aadhaar-based e-KYC mandatory for all resident pensioners registered on its Pensioner Sewa Portal (PSP), with a deadline of 31 December 2026. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema announced the rule in Chandigarh on 5 November 2026, along with a WhatsApp chatbot that lets NRI pensioners submit manual life certificates.
Cheema said the e-KYC takes about two minutes and can be done on the online portal or at a District Treasury Office, a pension-disbursing bank or a Sewa Kendra. NRI pensioners are exempt from the e-KYC rule for now. The move follows the Centre’s Digital Life Certificate Campaign 5.0, which is also pushing face-based verification for pensioners this month.
What Punjab pensioners need to do before 31 December
- Complete Aadhaar-based e-KYC on the Pensioner Sewa Portal, which the state says is mandatory from November 2026.
- Use the portal or visit a District Treasury Office, a pension-disbursing bank or a Sewa Kendra if help is needed.
- NRI pensioners can skip e-KYC for now and send their manual life certificate through the new WhatsApp chatbot instead of visiting an office.
The chatbot is the latest example of departments moving pension and provident fund services onto messaging apps, as seen with EPFO’s WhatsApp services for PF members.
Pensioner Sewa Portal in numbers
Launched on 1 November 2025, the portal is described by the state as a flagship digital governance project that moved pension administration onto one paperless system. According to figures shared by the Finance Minister on 5 November, it has:
- Digitised 3.05 lakh pension records and 3.50 lakh PPO PDFs.
- Completed 2,98,993 Jeevan Pramaan Patra (JPP) entries and 1,73,211 KYC applications.
- Processed pension disbursements of about ₹12,000 crore and 14,359 online pension cases from District Treasury Offices to banks.
- Handled 4,250 grievances, 1.8 lakh pension slip downloads and 7,500 succession applications after a pensioner’s death.
Every online service on the portal has a maximum delivery time of 21 days, and pensioners can track the status of their applications in real time.
How e-KYC and Jeevan Pramaan curb pension fraud
Integration with the central Jeevan Pramaan facility lets pensioners submit Digital Life Certificates from home. Cheema said adoption has risen from 6% to 96%, removing the need for treasury visits. Jeevan Pramaan relies on Aadhaar authentication, which UIDAI’s face authentication numbers show is now widely used for such checks.
The state combines JPP-based e-KYC with Jeevan Pramaan data for dual verification to prevent fraud, Cheema said. Automated payment calculation has also identified underpaid pensioners, whose pensions are being raised as the pilot scales up.
Why it matters for state e-governance
Punjab says Haryana is studying the system and Rajasthan has seen a demonstration of it. The portal builds on the state’s earlier reforms in citizen service delivery and shows how one treasury platform can cut paperwork, speed up payments and catch errors for lakhs of retired employees.
Key takeaways
- Aadhaar e-KYC is mandatory for resident Punjab pensioners on the Pensioner Sewa Portal by 31 December 2026.
- NRI pensioners are exempt for now and get a WhatsApp chatbot to submit manual life certificates.
- The portal has digitised over 3 lakh pension records and handled about ₹12,000 crore in disbursements.
FAQ
What is the deadline for Punjab pensioners e-KYC?
Resident pensioners registered on the Pensioner Sewa Portal must complete Aadhaar-based e-KYC on or before 31 December 2026.
Where can pensioners complete e-KYC?
On the Pensioner Sewa Portal online, or at a District Treasury Office, a pension-disbursing bank or a Sewa Kendra.
Do NRI pensioners need e-KYC?
No, NRI pensioners are exempt for now. They can submit manual life certificates through the new WhatsApp chatbot.
Source: Jeevan Pramaan; Punjab Finance Department announcement, 5 November 2026.
Featured image: Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha. Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC0)