New Delhi, Sep 28 (PTI) The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has made it mandatory for new applicants to submit a life certificate to avail its pension scheme, officials said on Tuesday.

The move comes after the civic body took cognisance of Lokayukta enquiries being initiated in some cases related with disbursement of pension to beneficiaries.

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The issue was raised in a meeting of the standing committee meeting.

The pension scheme was stopped by the civic body two years back due to paucity of funds but with the municipal elections scheduled for early next year, the SDMC has decided to restart it.

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SDMC Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti said several cases were reported in which the Lokayukta was investigating so it has to be ensured that the applicant provides a life certificate before being added as a beneficiary.

The commissioner also asked councillors to "double verify" the details of applicants and ensure that they have a life certificate.

A life certificate would mean a guarantee through government documents that the person is alive.

Standing committee chairperson of South MCD B K Oberoi said the civic body grants pension of Rs 1,000 per month to widows, a person who is bed-ridden, transgender, divorcee and to kids who have lost their parents.

"Submitting life certificates is now mandatory for applicants. Councillors have also been given this instruction. The councillors are entitled to give pension to a maximum 450 beneficiaries in each ward," Oberoi said.

There are 104 wards in the SDMC.

Oberoi said for the past two years, the civic body has not been able to give pensions due to fund crunch.

"Now we will restart giving pensions after two years. All necessary precautions will be taken," Oberoi said.

The beneficiaries of pension schemes in MCDs are recommended by the councillor.

Earlier, the pension amount used to be Rs 500 which was increased to Rs 1,000 in 2010-11.

The SDMC officials said furnishing wrong information to avail the pension benefit may lead to registration of an FIR against the guilty.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)