The Delhi government has started verifying records of old-age pension beneficiaries to identify dead and ineligible recipients. The exercise comes when the number of senior citizens receiving pensions has risen to 4.41 lakh in FY26, close to the highest level recorded in the past decade.
The verification drive could change the size of the beneficiary list, making the latest figures important for understanding how the scheme has evolved and what may change next.
Beneficiary Numbers Have Risen And Fallen
According to the Delhi Economic Survey 2025-26, the number of senior citizens receiving pensions stood at 3.88 lakh in FY16. It rose to 4.38 lakh in FY18 and continued to increase, reaching 4.64 lakh in FY20, the highest figure in the period covered here.
The beneficiary count subsequently declined. It fell to 4.25 lakh in FY21 and 4.18 lakh in FY22. The numbers continued to drop, reaching 4.05 lakh in FY24.
The trend has since reversed. The number of beneficiaries increased to 4.34 lakh in FY25 and reached 4.41 lakh in FY26, up to March 2026.
Despite the recent increase, the count remains below the FY20 peak of 4.64 lakh.
The verification drive would cover around 4.4 lakh elderly beneficiaries and was expected to take three months.
According to the report, a senior government functionary estimated that the exercise could create vacancies equivalent to 20-25 per cent of the existing beneficiary base. The estimate refers to cases involving dead beneficiaries and people receiving other government assistance alongside the old-age pension.
Applied to a base of 4.4 lakh beneficiaries, this estimate translates to around 88,000 to 1.10 lakh potential vacancies.
What The Pension Provides
Under the rates listed in the Delhi Economic Survey 2025-26, senior citizens aged 60-69 receive Rs 2,000 per month, while those aged 70 and above receive Rs 2,500 per month.
If an eligible elderly person is wrongly excluded from the scheme because their verification is incomplete or unsuccessful, they could lose Rs 24,000 a year in pension payments if aged 60-69, or Rs 30,000 a year if aged 70 and above.