CHANDIGARH, MAY 7 — The Punjab government has successfully deposited the long-awaited pension for the month of April into the accounts of approximately 2.50 lakh retirees, including former MLAs. The disbursement follows a period of uncertainty that had drawn public criticism toward the administration. Finance department officials confirmed that the funds were credited to a leading public sector bank early Thursday morning.
The delay was attributed to a transition toward the state’s digital Pension Seva Portal, a platform designed to manage pension details and life certificates. While most financial institutions had already integrated with the digital system, one major bank required additional time to migrate its vast database. Currently, about 70,000 out of the 2.50 lakh pensioners at this specific bank are still awaiting digital verification, though the majority of payments have now been processed.
“This is a big relief for lakhs of state government pensioners, whose only source of income is pension,” stated Amarjit Singh Bhatia, a pensioner from Kharar. He affirmed that his account was credited early this morning, ending days of financial anxiety. The state exchequer manages a monthly pension bill of approximately Rs 1,872 crore for a total of 4.50 lakh pensioners across various banks.
Top officials from the finance department maintained that the issue was resolved following a high-level meeting between government representatives and bank officials. They stated that the digital shift is intended to streamline future payments and increase transparency. They declared that the government is working to ensure that the remaining unverified accounts are processed quickly to avoid any further disruptions in the monthly payment cycle.
