Mangaluru: As many as 64,270 pension beneficiaries in Dakshina Kannada district are set to have their monthly pensions restored after the Karnataka government raised the annual income limit used to determine eligibility for social security pension schemes.
The development is expected to provide relief to thousands of pensioners whose payments had been temporarily withheld following an income verification exercise. The government has now directed that existing beneficiaries, particularly those whose pensions were stopped on suspicion, should continue receiving their monthly pension until further instructions.
Income limit increased from ₹32,000 to ₹1.20 lakh
The key change is the revision of the annual income eligibility limit.
The government had earlier fixed the annual income limit at ₹32,000 while determining eligibility for various pension schemes. Many beneficiaries and pensioners had raised concerns that the limit had remained unchanged for several years despite changes in household incomes and living costs.
The limit has now been increased to ₹1.20 lakh per year, providing relief to beneficiaries who were caught in the earlier verification process.
The revision is expected to address at least some of the difficulties faced by pensioners whose payments were stopped because their records appeared to exceed the earlier income threshold.
Why were pensions stopped?
The issue emerged after the Directorate of Social Security and Pensions began identifying beneficiaries whose annual income appeared to exceed ₹32,000.
Officials compared pension beneficiary records with financial and social information available through the state’s e-governance system and its Family Data database.
Across Karnataka, around 23.13 lakh people were initially identified as apparently falling outside the eligibility criteria.
To verify the doubtful cases, the government developed a special mobile application called Samanvaya. Physical verification of records involving around 20.64 lakh beneficiaries was completed by June 20.
The verification process, however, resulted in many genuine beneficiaries facing difficulties.
Thousands faced problems obtaining certificates
During physical verification, officials found several reasons for discrepancies in beneficiary records. Some pensioners had not submitted income certificates, some had changed their addresses, while others were unable to produce the required documents.
Consequently, more than 17 lakh people across Karnataka were temporarily excluded from receiving pensions.
Many beneficiaries were subsequently asked to obtain fresh income certificates, resulting in long queues at government offices.
The situation was particularly difficult for elderly pensioners, some of whom had to make repeated trips to taluk offices to complete the documentation process.
The government’s latest directive is expected to reduce this burden, with pensioners no longer required to repeatedly obtain income certificates in the cases covered by the revised instructions.
Mangaluru tahsildar explains the confusion
Mangaluru tahsildar Ramesh Babu said hundreds of people had been standing in queues every day to obtain income certificates.
He said many of them would no longer need to obtain the certificates again following the government’s latest decision.
One of the reasons for the confusion was a mismatch between the income information of pension beneficiaries and the income declared by their children or grandchildren for educational or other purposes.
As these details were matched during the verification exercise, some pensioners were flagged despite the income not necessarily belonging to them.
The resulting discrepancies led to pensions being withheld on suspicion, according to the official. The latest decision has now resolved the issue to a considerable extent.
64,270 beneficiaries affected in Dakshina Kannada
Dakshina Kannada has a total of 1,84,805 pension beneficiaries under various schemes.
Of these, pensions belonging to 64,270 beneficiaries had been temporarily withheld during the verification exercise.
The taluk-wise breakup shows that Mangaluru had the highest number of affected beneficiaries, followed by Bantwal, Beltangady, Puttur and Sullia.
| Taluk | Pensions temporarily withheld |
|---|---|
| Mangaluru | 31,394 |
| Bantwal | 12,295 |
| Beltangady | 9,412 |
| Puttur | 8,527 |
| Sullia | 2,642 |
| Total | 64,270 |
The figures underline the scale of the disruption caused by the verification exercise across the district.
Pensioners get relief from repeated office visits
For elderly and vulnerable beneficiaries, the restoration of pension payments is significant because social security pensions often form an important source of regular financial support.
The earlier requirement to repeatedly obtain income and caste certificates created additional difficulties. The process involved obtaining documents, getting them signed by the village accountant and forwarding them to the taluk office.
The delay was particularly challenging when beneficiaries needed certificates for multiple purposes, including education-related requirements for family members.
The situation also reportedly created opportunities for middlemen to take advantage of people struggling to complete the documentation process.
Payments expected to continue
With the income ceiling now raised to ₹1.20 lakh, the government has provided immediate relief to beneficiaries whose pensions were stopped during the verification process.
Existing pension beneficiaries whose payments were withheld on suspicion will continue to receive their monthly pensions until further government instructions.
For the 64,270 affected beneficiaries in Dakshina Kannada, the decision is expected to restore continuity in pension payments and reduce the need for repeated visits to government offices.
The development also highlights the importance of maintaining accurate beneficiary databases while ensuring that verification exercises do not unintentionally exclude genuine recipients.
With the revised income limit now in place, pensioners across Dakshina Kannada can expect greater clarity and fewer documentation-related hurdles while receiving their entitled benefits.