‘Dead’ in govt records, 80-yr-old Faridabad man await pension for over 2 years

Surjan Singh, a resident of NIT-5, says discrepancies between the social welfare and PPP databases led to his pension being suspended.

An 80-year-old man in Faridabad has had to submit proof of life three times after a government database allegedly declared him dead, leaving his old-age pension suspended for nearly two years, his family claimed.

Surjan Singh, a resident of NIT-5, approached the district administration on Thursday seeking correction of his records and restoration of his old-age pension after his status was marked as “deceased” on the state’s social welfare portal. He submitted his proof-of-life documents for the third time at a grievance redressal camp held at the Sector 12 mini-secretariat, according to his son, Kulwant.

Singh’s pension was suspended following discrepancies in data between the Haryana government’s Parivar Pehchan Patra (PPP) database and the social welfare department’s pension records. While the pension portal lists Singh as deceased, the PPP portal identifies him as a living “pensioner”. However, the PPP records also show an incorrect annual income of up to ₹3 lakh for both Singh and his wife, according to the family.

At Thursday’s camp, Singh apprised the panel, chaired by sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Hunny Bansal, of the discrepancies and sought their correction. He also told officials that his age and physical condition made it difficult for him to repeatedly visit government offices to establish his identity and prove that he was alive.

“The pension has not been coming to my father’s account for nearly two years. We did not notice it because his account had money, and he used up that amount. We have visited the pension office and Samadhan Shivir multiple times, but till now there is no solution,” Kulwant said.

District officials present at the camp said the discrepancies between the local Family ID records and the social justice department database were being reviewed.

“Proper investigation in the matter will be done. The records will be rectified following standard verification procedures to ensure the resumption of his financial assistance,” SDM Hunny Bansal said.

The family said Singh has already submitted proof-of-life documents on multiple occasions but is yet to see his pension restored.