CHANDIGARH: Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Thursday chaired a comprehensive review meeting with various banks at Punjab Bhawan to address and resolve the substantial backlog of issues pending on the Pensioner Sewa Portal (PSP). Expressing serious concern over repeated delays and missed timelines, Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema fixed a strict deadline of March 31, 2026 for clearing all pending matters and made it clear that no further laxity would be tolerated.
During the meeting, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that banks had earlier failed to adhere to committed schedules, prompting the Punjab Government to grant extensions at their request. “Despite these allowances, heavy backlogs persist across major financial institutions. This situation is unacceptable. All pending issues related to the Pensioner Sewa Portal must be resolved by March 31, 2026, ” he stated.
Announcing a follow-up review meeting on March 15, the Minister issued a stern warning. “The Punjab Government will take strict action against any bank that fails to clear all pending issues by the March 31 deadline. Pensioners cannot be made to suffer due to administrative inefficiency, ” he said.
Highlighting non-compliance with the Punjab Government’s instructions dated October 31, 2025, which mandated the acceptance of only Digital Life Certificates through Jeevan Pramaan Patra (JPP), Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that certain banks had not fully implemented the directive. “To remove any communication gap, the government has provided banks with a specific message and letter template. Banks must forward this message through their updated contact databases so that pensioners are fully aware of the mandatory JPP and eKYC requirements. This collaborative outreach is vital for successfully completing the process, ” he said.