ID overhaul exposes ghost pensioners in Trinidad & Tobago

4,000 fraudsters lose benefits (Entorno Inteligente)

The Biometric Card will technologically exceed its predecessor, the Debit Smartcard, said Newallo-Hosein, and will translate biological information into digital recognition.

As a result the social safety net will become tight yet more efficient than at present.

India: Iris to replace thumb print for pensioner verification in one district

‘Iris recognition system’ for pensions to be launched in Andhra Pradesh (Niti Central)

A biometric 'Iris identification system' for distribution of pension will be soon launched in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh.

At present, the pensions are being paid by taking a thumb impression of the pensioners, Krishna District Collector A Babu said in an official release. However, sometimes the illegible thumb impressions create problems, he said.

This is perhaps the first time I've seen one biometric modality displace another one in an existing ID management application.

The performance expectations for iris must be substantially higher than what the existing fingerprint system is producing because it looks like there will have to be a new enrollment process for pensioners in the 100 political villages and municipal wards undertaking the change.

Los Cazafantasmas de Argentina

Argentina reveals new biometric requirements for pensions (Planet Biometrics)

Argentina’s social security agency has announced that all pensioners will need to undergo biometric registration to receive payments, and that all ATM payment services for benefits must also have fingerprint readers installed by June.

¿Cómo se dice, "Ghostbusters?"

India using biometrics to streamline government interactions with citizens

Technology Can Surely Help Reduce Hardships (The New Indian Express)

Prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched the “Jeevan Pramaan” project, a digital version of the “life certificate” scheme that could eventually benefit 10 million claimants. The biometric-based software means pensioners will now no longer have to visit banks every year to give proof of their being alive to continue receiving benefits. Around 50 lakh people draw pension from the central government, and an equal number from state and UT governments. Several PSUs also provide pensions, and over 25 lakh retirees draw pensions from the armed forces. The software will be made available to pensioners and other stakeholders on a large scale at no extra cost. It can be operated on a personal computer or smartphone, along with an “inexpensive” biometric reading device.

For thousands of years, more security meant less convenience. Biometric technologies have the power to change that.

India: Biometrics for pensioner proof of life

PM Modi launches digital life certificate 'Jeevan Pramaan' for pensioners (Yahoo)

The proposed digital certification will do away with the requirement of a pensioner having to submit a physical 'life certificate' in November each year, in order to ensure continuity of pension being credited into his account. The Department of Electronics and IT has developed a software application which will enable the recording of the pensioner's Aadhar number and biometric details from his mobile device or computer, by plugging in a biometric reading device.

The earlier requirement entailed that a pensioner either personally presents himself before the Pension Disbursing Agency, or submits a Life Certificate issued by authorities specified by the Central Pension Accounting Office (CPAO).

This application sounds like a real benefit to everyone. The pension can be more assured that it isn't making payments to the deceased and pensioners and/or their care-givers save a trip to the "prove you're alive" office.

Nigeria vetting public sector pensioners with biometrics

Nigeria: Govt to Commence Nationwide Verification of Pensioners (All Africa)

...[T]he departments within its supervision include the civil service pension, police pension, pensioner support service, information technology and corporate support services as well as Treasury Funded Parastatals Pension.

She noted that verification exercise is expected to among other things, eliminate ghost pensioners, and halt the duplication of payments; Correct and eradicate anomalies such as over payments and under payments; pay pensions, gratuities, death benefits and other pensioner entitlements; update records of next of kins; and enrol new pensioners.

She said PTAD had also succeeded in establishing a robust complaints resolution mechanism which had improved services to pensioners.

...also from Biometric Update

Trinidad and Tobago to roll out biometric system in July — I have to think the reference to retina scans and retina scanning in both the Biometric Update piece linked above and the original Trinidad Express piece upon which it relies, is in error. If an eye biometric is to be used, it almost certainly uses the iris.


See: Iris ≠ Retina

Pakistan moves toward biometric verification of pensioners

Pensioners woes to end thru Biometrics Smart Card: NADRA (Pakistan Observer)

Islamabad—National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) on Thursday claimed that it has developed a mechanism to issue Biometrics Smart Cards to facilitate pensioners. The programme would help the pensioners to withdraw their pension from any biometrics enabled platform used by banks, post offices and any other alternative channels. All the technology components are fully developed by NADRA, tested and ready for deployment.

India: Biometrics help make Old-Age pensions easier to collect

Micro-ATM using Aadhaar data delivers cash to villagers (The Hindu)

Rampati Debbarma, a 71-year-old tribal woman of Burakha village in West Tripura district on Thursday pressed her finger on an Aadhaar-enabled micro-ATM to get her old-age pension in cash.
...
“Earlier, I used to walk about 10 km from my village to Mandwi Block headquarters for withdrawal of my pension from Gramin Bank, but today I got it at my doorstep,” she said.

Ghana: Biometric registration for ex-pats and government workers abroad

Biometric Registration of Public Sector Workers and Pensioners (Modern Ghana)

The Government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning has embarked on an exercise to register all public sector workers and pensioners abroad.

The exercise is part of the government's policy to improve the payroll administration in the country.

All pensioners and public sector workers domiciled abroad, including Ex-service men, are to register in person at the nearest Consulate or Embassy by providing information and their biometric data which must include a passport size photograph, staff number, pension number, regimental number, date of birth, date of employment, ID number, retirement date and position held before retirement.

New biometric payment cards for South African social grant recipients offer greater security and convenience

More Than 2.5 Million MasterCard Debit Cards Issued to Social Welfare Beneficiaries in South Africa (Press Release) 

The new system is dramatically reducing SASSA’s operating costs. Until now, it has cost SASSA between R26 ($3.25) and R35 ($4.38) per grant to pay beneficiaries. Under the new agreement, disbursement costs will be capped at R16.50 ($2.07) per payment, enabling the agency to save up to R3bn ($375m) in operating costs over the next five years. This means that the agency will be able to spend its budget allocation more effectively in the future, making a meaningful difference in the lives of more South Africans.
“The early success of the project rollout affirms MasterCard’s vision to create a world beyond cash, as electronic payments using debit MasterCards opens up a world of financial inclusion for many South Africans who have previously not had access to banking products,” says Dries Zietsman, Country Manager, MasterCard South Africa.

“With over 2.5 million cards already issued since rollout in March 2012, it is clear that the cards are already being widely accepted by beneficiaries who are realising the benefits of a cashless environment,” he concludes.

Two Big ID Management Projects in Africa

South Africa is rolling out its program to biometrically identify all social grant beneficiaries in order to curb double-dipping and ghost beneficiaries. (Engineering News)

 Nigeria is doing the same with pensioners. (Punch)


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South Africa Social Security All-In on Biometrics

SASSA gets biometric system (IT Web)

The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) will re-register all its beneficiaries through a biometric enrolment system to ensure life verification and identity authentication of beneficiaries.

The article is very short but packed full of information about the problems the new system is built to address and estimates of how much money can be saved in the social security system.

Biometrics Help Increase Access to Banking Services & Reduce Fraud

Tiruvarur tops in biometric card distribution for pension disbursal (The Hindu)

It was a major scam unearthed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in September 2010 in the disbursement of Old Age Pension (OAP) to senior citizens that prompted the authorities to explore alternative methods to ensure disbursement of several social security pension schemes.

Traditionally, pensions have been disbursed through the Postal Department.

After the change of guard in the State in May 2011, the new government promptly announced that pensions would be disbursed through banks, a position reiterated by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa even a few days ago...

Read on.

It looks like the UIDAI isn't the only Indian institution trying to get away from the postal service.


h/t @m2sys

Worlds Oldest Biometrically Enrolled Pensioner?

Lagos verifies 112-year-old pensioner, others (Punch)

She said a new system, biometric solutions, that was introduced in the state, had led to the decentralisation of the verification exercise.

She said, “Before, verification was done at just one centre. Now, pensioners are verified at the nearest council to their residence. The government is determined to improve the well being of pensioners.

“The decentralisation has reduced stress for our pensioners. Lagos State Government does not owe any pensioner.”

Reducing losses and adding convenience. In technical circles, we call that a twofer.

Nigeria Pension Scandal Continues to Unfold

Pension house of corruption (Vanguard)

On the biometric verification, he noted that the Team reduced the over-bloated figures of genuine pensioners to 70,658, with a corresponding reduction of the monthly budget paid to them to N825 million.

According him, the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP collaborated with the civil servants to siphon part of the pension funds.

He gave an instance where the taskforce found out how the bank account of the NUP, where the monthly check off dues of the association kept growing from N15 million to over N2 billion due to proceeds from the alleged fraud in the scheme.

He said this extra amount was later transferred to the bank accounts of the fraudulent 32 staffs at the office of the HOS.

The committee expressed shock with the revelation, lamenting that the fraud in the system had denied retired pensioners their entitlements.

Biometrics give the good guys tools to help their country.

Biometrics Lead to the Discovery of Massive Fraud in Nigeria Pensions

Nigeria rocked by pension fraud scandals (All Africa)

Abdulrasheed also told the committee that the revolution introduced in the nation's pensions fund management by former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr. Steve Oronsanye, had simplified the administration and disbursement of the pension scheme to beneficiaries.

He disclosed that as at December, last year, a total of 49,395 pensioners including those who retired as far back as 1968 who had never been enrolled had now been verified and their biometrics captured, bringing the total number of pensioners on the payroll to 120,733.

"Prior to the introduction of the biometric system, government had been paying 141,792 pensioners up to the tune of about N3.3 billion as regular monthly pension," Abdulrasheed disclosed, saying however that "following the exercise, it was found that 70,657 pensioners were qualified and eligible to draw regular monthly pension out of the 141,790 pensioners who were hitherto on the payroll".

The PRTT boss also disclosed that the government spent N250 million yearly between 2005 and 2011 on pensioners' verification exercise, adding however that "in order to avoid this and cut cost, we devised a system of smart card through which the pensioners could now receive their pay through the ATM".

He further enumerated other achievements of the PRTT to include: "reduction of pension wage bill from N5 billion to N1.6 billion monthly resulting in N3.4 billion savings from June 2010 to December 2011".

Read the whole thing.

Congratulations the brave Nigerians who have demonstrated the courage to go after the corruption that keeps people poor.

Nigeria: Ghost Workers Will Haunt Administrators

Senate President Berates Pension Administrators (This Day Live)

The Senate President, who was represented by the Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, said: “These people, the administrators stealing pension funds, can never live in peace because the prayers of these old men and women who have diligently served the country will haunt them and their children’s children. I implore the committee to unravel all the issues pertaining to the mismanagement of pension funds in the country and bring the perpetrators to book. Let me assure that this committee has the full backing of the Senate on this.”

Meanwhile, Obada who made gave the assurance to some of the retirees in Lagos at the ongoing annual verification exercise being held at the grounds of the Nigerian Army, 9th Brigade, Ikeja, said: “The yearly verification exercise is to ensure that we are paying the right people and not ghost retirees. We insist it to checkmate relatives of deceased retirees from claiming the benefits of a dead person.”

THISDAY gathered that the verification exercise which began yesterday, would involve biometric data capture.

Obada said: “This exercise will involve the biometric data capture which includes the iris scan and finger print capture.”

See also Nigeria: Biometrics Generate $965 Million in Pension Savings

Ghana trims 34,000 ghosts from pension payroll

34,000 ghost names removed from pensioners' payroll (Modern Ghana)

In an interview with the Daily Graphic, the Minister of MoFEP, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, stated that the initiative would contribute significantly to minimising payroll fraud and facilitate the cutting down substantially of public expenditure on emoluments.

The government projects to spend close to GH¢6 billion on the wage bill of public sector employees and pensioners in 2012.

But the minister was optimistic that by the time the entire project was completed in June, the nation would have saved close to GH¢1.5 billion.

The project, so far, has processed 54,544 out of the 88,467 pensioners it covers. If one assumes ghosts tend to stand toward the back of the enrollment line, the percentage of ghost pensioners will increase from its current 38%.

Nigeria: Ghost Police Pensioners Collect Over $6 Million a Month

N1 Billion Paid to Ghost Police Pensioners Monthly - Ngozi (AllAfrica.com)

Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said yesterday that government has uncovered about N1 billion paid to unidentified police pensioners every month.

The discovery was made after a biometric data exercise conducted on police pension fund, the minister said in Abuja at a press briefing on the 2012 budget breakdown.

A billion Nigerian Naira = 6,168,080.18 USD

In 2010, Nigeria received a total of $614.7 million in U.S. foreign aid.

So, an amount equal to 12% of the foreign aid Nigeria received from the United States in 2010, went toward paying ghost police pensioners, which must represent only a fraction of the total number of government pensions being paid.

The amount of money lost to corruption among the world's developing countries is truly staggering. It is one of the main contributors to global poverty and misery. Biometrics can help.

See also:

Slate: How Biometric IDs Will Help Developing Countries Fight Corruption and Bust Fake Workers.

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