The rules for old-age pensions in Kanpur have been changed, and Aadhaar cards will no longer be considered proof of age. Seniors will now need educational certificates or other documents to obtain them.

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The changes to the old-age pension scheme have created problems for the elderly. According to the new system, Aadhaar cards will no longer be considered a criterion for age. Instead of Aadhaar cards, the elderly will now have to submit educational certificates to the Social Welfare Department.

Those who don't have educational certificates will have to provide a copy of the family register. Now, the problem is that some families don't have their names listed in the family register, and a large number of elderly people are illiterate, making it impossible to have an educational certificate.

The sudden de-emergence of the long-standing Aadhaar card has created a problem for elderly beneficiaries. As a result, elderly people, eagerly awaiting their pension, are now forced to climb the second floor of Vikas Bhavan to seek relief. According to statistics, approximately 12,000 elderly people in the district have not received their pension for a year, and now, with the rules changed, this crisis has become even more serious.

Case One

When 68-year-old Satyanarayan Mishra from Chaubepur climbed the stairs of Vikas Bhawan and reached the Social Welfare Office, he discovered that the officials were not present to listen to him. He asked the staff how he could obtain educational certificates at his age, as he had no education. However, he was told about the alternative: a copy of the family register and sent away.

Case two: -

71-year-old Jagdei from Patara, accompanied by her grandson, reached Vikas Bhawan. She, too, couldn't find a responsible officer to listen to her problem. The staff told her the boss had gone out. When she reached the pension counter, she learned that the rules had changed, so her Aadhaar card wasn't working. She said she had spent her entire life, and now, in her old age, she was being asked for proof of education. She said she would have to make rounds of the Panchayat Secretary at the block to get a copy of the family register.