Kohima | NPP MLA Tseilhoutuo Rhutso on Tuesday called for a comprehensive overhaul of Nagaland’s pension system, citing pension expenditure of Rs 2,679.12 crore in 2025-26 and raising concerns over possible irregularities in the disbursement of benefits.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour under Rule 49 in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly, Rhutso said pension was a right and a reward for government service and genuine pensioners should receive their dues on time and with dignity.

According to figures presented by the MLA, 63,370 retired government employees and nominees were receiving pensions in the state. Of these, 31,714 beneficiaries received payments through the SBI Centralised Pension Processing Centre (SBI-CPPC), while 31,656 were paid through state treasuries.

Among the pension beneficiaries, 11,449 were aged 70 years or above, including 450 aged over 90 and 19 aged 100 years or above.

Rhutso said pension expenditure had risen from Rs 2,429.56 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 2,679.12 crore in 2025-26. He said Rs 1,049.63 crore had already been spent during 2026-27 up to July.

The MLA flagged the possibility of payments reaching ineligible beneficiaries because of unverified credentials, delays in reporting deaths, claims for pension arrears after a beneficiary’s death, inadequate verification of remarriage and possible duplication of payments between SBI-CPPC and state treasuries.

He also called for scrutiny of pensioners who had settled outside Nagaland and verification of allegedly fraudulent life and marriage certificates.

Rhutso proposed time-bound physical and Aadhaar-linked biometric verification of pensioners, wider adoption of the Jeevan Pramaan digital life certificate system and the formation of a high-level committee headed by the Finance Department to conduct a detailed audit of the pension system.

He further suggested creation of a centralised online pension portal, verification of pensioners receiving benefits from other states and periodic updating of dependant and spouse details. The MLA also called for action against individuals involved in issuing fraudulent certificates and proposed a deadline for reporting fraudulent pension withdrawals.

He suggested December 31, 2026, or March 31, 2027, as the cut-off date and called for recovery of excess payments as well as stricter action against withdrawals made after the deadline. Rhutso said the proposed reforms were intended to protect genuine pensioners while curbing fraudulent payments, reducing unnecessary government expenditure and ensuring that more resources were available for public welfare.

Speaker Sharingain Longkumer, however, said issues raised during Zero Hour were not meant for discussion in the House, though members could take them up subsequently if considered necessary.