CHANDIGARH, MAY 7 — Hundreds of thousands of Punjab government pensioners received their April payments on Thursday, ending a week of delays caused by a digital migration process. The state finance department announced that funds have been transferred to the accounts of over 2.50 lakh individuals who had been left waiting due to a synchronization issue between a leading public sector bank and the government’s new Pension Seva Portal.
The state currently supports around 4.50 lakh retirees, with nearly half of them holding accounts in the bank affected by the transition. Finance officials stated that while other banks completed the shift to the digital platform without incident, this particular institution required more time for the verification of nearly 70,000 individual records. The total monthly expenditure for these pensions amounts to roughly Rs 1,872 crore.
“The issue of delay in pensions was resolved after a meeting between senior government officials and bank representatives yesterday,” a state official affirmed. He stated that the bank had requested the extension to ensure all pension details and life certificates were accurately transferred to the government’s secure portal. He noted that the move to a digital platform is a necessary step toward modernizing the state’s financial administration.
Beneficiaries across the state expressed gratitude for the resolution. Many pensioners declared that the timely arrival of funds is critical for managing daily household expenses. Government representatives affirmed that the administration remains committed to ensuring smooth transitions for all remaining digital verifications. They stated that the goal of the new portal is to provide a more efficient and reliable service for the state’s retired workforce.
