Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said that the drive, for which each beneficiary will undergo biometric authentication, “will help eliminate fraudulent claims and enhance the credibility of government schemes, while promoting social justice and transparency”. File | Photo: X/@gupta_rekha via PTI
The Delhi government will conduct annual verifications of an estimated six lakh people availing of its financial assistance schemes, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said on Saturday (October 4, 2025). The drive this year will begin “shortly”, it added.
The statement quoted CM Rekha Gupta as saying that the process will “ensure that only genuine and eligible beneficiaries receive assistance, while those who are no longer eligible or have passed away will be automatically removed from the list”.
She added that the drive, for which each beneficiary will undergo biometric authentication, “will help eliminate fraudulent claims and enhance the credibility of government schemes, while promoting social justice and transparency”.
“Additionally, beneficiaries’ photographs, Aadhaar details, phone numbers and addresses will be collected. All information will then be digitised and updated in the database. For those who cannot visit the centres, home verification will be arranged. A call centre and helpline will also be set up for quick resolution of queries. Upon verification, each beneficiary will be provided with a unique digital identity card in soft copy,” stated the CMO.
₹5.57-crore cost process
For the initiative, the government has partnered with CSC e-Governance Services India Limited, a special purpose vehicle promoted by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The verification process is expected to cost ₹5.57 crore and will be funded by the Delhi government.
An official said, “The government will soon issue a helpline number on which Delhi government beneficiaries would be able to call to initiate the verification process. It will be done free of cost and in a quick and hassle-free manner.”
“Currently, there is no proper annual verification process, and many schemes only require a certificate from the area MLA,” the official added.
WCD Department drive
Earlier this year, the Delhi government held a verification drive to identify the beneficiaries for its ₹2,500 monthly pension scheme for widows, divorced, separated, destitute, and abandoned women. The drive, conducted by the Women and Child Development (WCD) Department, had identified over 60,000 eligible women.
Published – October 05, 2025 08:23 am IST
