Google ad

Saturday, November 4, 2023

SUBMISSION OF LIFE CERTIFICATE USING FACE RECOGNITION APPLICATION

In  my earlier post  date 22.10.23 on Submission of Life Certificate by Government Pensioners, method of submission of Life Certificate through Face authentication technology was mentioned in brief. The procedure for the same is given below in detail for the benefit of Pensioners in India:

Every year in the month of November, pensioners are required to submit a life certificate or Jeevan Praman Patra. Therefore, the Government of India has introduced digital life certificates through a face recognition technology system to make the process simpler. The process is based on the Aadhaar certificate.

Jeevan Pramaan or the digital life certificate is a digital service that has biometric support in which pensioners can submit certificates online without visiting the office.                                                    

Now the government has created a face recognition technology system that allows access through android phones.                                 

STEPS TO SUBMIT DIGITAL LIFE CERTIFICATE THROUGH FACE RECOGNITION SERVICE:

  1. Download the Jeevan Pramaan face application on the mobile phone (as provided above).
  2. Download the AadhaarFaceRD app from the Google Play Store.
  3. The pensioners have to install the Jeevan Pramaan face application from the file downloads on their mobile.
  4. Open the Jeevan Pramaan face application and give the necessary permissions.
  5. Do the operator authentication and scan the face of the operator to open the application. The operator authentication is a one-time process, and the pensioners themselves can be the operators.  
  6. Fill in the pensioner details and scan the face of the pensioner. (The pensioners must scan their face in a frontal pose with neutral expression under proper lighting).
  7. Click on the ‘Submit’ button. The pensioners will receive a message on the mobile number with a link for downloading the DLC (Jeevan Pramaan).

Requirements for Downloading the Face Recognition App

The pensioners must ensure that they have the following requirements to download and use the Jeevan Pramaan face application:

  • Android smartphone version 7.0 and above.
  • Internet connection.
  • Aadhaar number registered with pension disbursing authority.
  • A camera resolution of 5 mp and above.

However, the Jeevan Pramaan face application is available only in India for Android devices. A biometric device is not necessary to use the app.                                                                                          

In the case of Pensioners who have already submitted Life Certificate digitally using Finger print recognition, pensioners need not give the details of PPO number, Disbursing authority etc. On entering Aadhar number, Mobile number and Email Id in Jeevan Pramaan App the details of pensioners will be displayed on Submitting and the pensioner has to confirm the details and scan face and submit. In the case of Pensioner who have not submitted LIfe Certificate digitally so far they have to register their details in Jeevaan Pramaan App.    

Link of a Power point presentation giving step by step guidelines with images is given below  

                                                             https://pensionersportal.gov.in/Document/Face%20Authentication%20Process%20of%20Jeevan%20Pramaan%20App%20.pdf

 


Sunday, October 22, 2023

SUBMISSION OF LIFE CERTIFICATE BY GOVERNMENT PENSIONERS

 


Central Government pensioners are required to submit their Annual Life Certificate (Jeevan Pramaan) in November for the continuation of their pension. However, the Central Government allows super senior pensioners in the age group of 80 years and above to submit Annual Life Certificate from 1st October onwards, instead of 1st November onwards, every year.


There are different modes for Jeevan Pramaan submission. Here’s a look at the different ways in which Central Government pensioners can submit their Annual Life Certificate:

1. PHYSICAL APPEARANCE:

Central Government pensioners can get their Life certificate recorded by Pension Disbursing Authorities (PDAs) by physically appearing before the PDA.

The format of Life certificate is given below:
2. SUBMISSION OF LIFE CERIFICATE SIGNED BY DESIGNATED OFFICIAL:

The pensioner can avoid personal appearance by submitting the annual life certificate form signed by any ‘designated official’. As per Jeevan Pramaan rules, a pensioner who produces a life certificate in the prescribed form, signed by persons specified, is exempted from personal appearance.

3. SUBMISSION THROUGH JEEVAN PRAMAAN PORTAL/DIGITAL LIFE CERTIFICATE:



Digital Life Certificate (Jeevan Pramaan) is a biometric enabled digital service for pensioners. Pensioners of central or state government, Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation or any other government organization whose pension disbursing agency is live for DLC can take benefit of this facility. They need not visit the office of disbursing agency for physical submission of life certificate and instead may use the Aadhaar enabled biometric authentication mechanism to generate DLC.

Central Government pensioners can submit the annual Life Certificate online through the Jeevan Pramaan portal https://jeevanpramaan.gov.in It is easy and convenient. The UIDAI has prescribed a list of biometric devices that can be used for capturing the biometrics of a person. Information about such devices is available on the UIDAI portal.

Tamil Nadu Governement has also enabled this service for the State government pensioners.


4. DOORSTEP SEERVICE THROUGH POSTMAN:

Central Government Pensioners can use the “Doorstep Service for submission of Digital Life Certificate through Postman”. This facility was launched by the Department of Posts along with Meity in November 2020. To make this facility available, the IPPB is using its national network of over 1,36,999 access points in Post Offices and more than 1,89,000 Postmen and grain Dao Sevaks. To use this facility, pensioners need to download the Posting App from Google Play Store.

For every successful generation of DLC, a nominal fee of Rs. 70 (inclusive of GST/ CESS) will be charged.

Pre-requisites for generating DIGITAL LIFE CERTIFICATE:
  • Pensioner must have an Aadhaar number
  • Pensioner must have an existing mobile number
  • Registration of the Aadhaar number with pension disbursing agency (bank/ post office etc.) should be done already
  • Pensioner should also keep the following details handy**:
  • Type of pension
  • Sanctioning authority
  • Disbursing agency
  • PPO number
  • Account number (pension)
** In case the pensioner has got the DLC generated in the previous years, then these details are auto-populated.

5. DOORSTEP BANKING SERVICE :

Pensioners can also use the Doorstep Banking services offered by an alliance of 12 Public Sector Banks. The PSB Alliance has introduced the service for the collection of Life Certificates under the umbrella of Doorstep Banking.

6. FACE AUTHENTICATION TECHNOLOGY :

Lastly, Central Government pensioners can use the Face Authentication technology based on UIDAI Aadhaar software to submit Life Certificates. The software allows the capturing of live photographs of pensioners through any Android-based smartphone for the generation of the Digital Life Certificate on the Jeevan Pramaan app.


7. Life Certificate through Video call

Some of the Banks like State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Canara Bank etc have recently introduced the facility of submission of Life Certificate through Video call for Pensioners who have accounts with the respective bank.
State Bank of India has given the following steps for submission of Life Certificate through Video call facility:
  • You first have to visit the website www.pensionseva.sbi.
  • From there, you need to select the Video LC to start the video life certificate submission process. After this, you need to enter your SBI pension account number and then submit the Captcha to verify. If you are eligible, you will receive an OTP on your registered mobile number linked with Aadhar.
  • Click on the ‘Submit’ option when you enter the OTP. Following this, click on the ‘Start Journey’ option after agreeing to terms and conditions.
  • By this time, you need to keep your PAN card ready, and then click on the ‘I Am Ready’ button. You will be able to interact with the SBI official as soon as he or she is available after you grant permission for starting the video call. You can also schedule the video call as per your convenience.
  • You need to read out the 4-digit verification number displayed on the screen to the SBI agent during the video call, after which he or she will capture your photo with your PAN card. This will complete your video call life certificate submission process.



Monday, October 16, 2023

19 Important Tips For Property/Apartment Purchasing



Buying property is not something you do every month or every year hence being vigilant prior to making purchasing decision is very important. 

Whether you are considering an apartment for your own living or investing your money to make some passive rental income, a careful approach will lead to more satisfying experience and better value for money outcome. Thinking on the same lines, below Property Investment Guide has been prepared containing 19 aspects for your consideration.

1- Cost Analysis :

The foremost important question! Before making your mind for a specific property, check market price for similar properties from local agents (minimum 3) or respective market portal/website. Consider that fact that local agent and online property portals will quote the same price for the highly sophisticated/educated societies whereas for emerging countries or less-educated countries, asking price mentioned on website is usually 10-15% higher than the actual market price. Know the right numbers with thorough search.  

2- Built-Up Area Vs Carpet Area:

Remember, construction area and liveable areas are different. Construction Area or Built-up Area (BUA) is actual used area of an apartment. Built up Area is the carpet area plus the thickness of outer walls and the balcony. Some apartments/houses might have large balconies which may not prefer specially for hot climate countries.

3- Cost per Square Foot:

Cost per square foot can give you a quick idea about your investment Vs Size. Posh areas would have higher cost per square foot. Most of the mature websites/portals usually show this value automatically. Check the cost per square feet value for similar apartments for quick comparison.

4- Annual maintenance cost:

If you are purchasing the unit/house for investment, remember the fact that your take-home income is after the payment of maintenance cost.. Maintenance cost are usually calculated on per-square feet basis. In some buildings, maintenance cost is paid by tenant to the building management whereas for other countries, the owner is required to pay the maintenance charges (Monthly or Quarterly). Check who will be paying maintenance charges and how much.

5- Currently rented? If not, why not?

Many investors prefer to purchase the unit/house which is already rented because they know how much they are going to earn out of it and also they want to start their income as soon as apartment is purchased. If the unit you plan to purchase is not rented, try to find out the reason. Probably, the building is not in-demand in the vicinity or tenants have more new buildings available in the community or the building has maintenance issues etc. Speak to the tenants and find out!

6- If Rented What is ROI?

Your Return on Investment ROI = (Annual Rent – Annual Maintenance Charges)/Total Investment

For example: you purchased an apartment in $600000 having annual maintenance cost of $10,000. If the annual rent is $50,000 then the ROI = (50000-10000)/600000 = 6.7%.

Each property market has different ROIs.. On a general note try to invest where ROI is 7% or more.

7- Closed Kitchen Vs Open Kitchen:

Consider the most-likely nationality of the tenants of the area. European/American tenants usually prefer open kitchen setup whereas Asian wives mostly prefer closed kitchens to manage their large crockery. Since you want to be a good investor, always consider end-user perspective else not a lot of tenants would be interested taking your unit on rent.

8- Balcony Availability:

Most of the tenants would prefer the apartments with balcony for evening chit-chat, for drying their clothes or for simply placing kids cycle or other stuff. Depending upon the type of community (congested community vs wide area community or nice-view community) the size of the balcony also matters.

9- Free hold vs 99 year lease:

If you are expat or investing in another country, always check the land/apartment ownership rules. In some countries the ownership is granted for 99 years from the date of construction. Although you are not going to live this much, but at the time of selling the unit, the new buyer might prefer buying free-hold property. None the less, 99-year lease will also be sold out sooner or later because human psychology is different for everyone!

10-  Builder Repute:

Always prefer to buy an apartment which was built by reliable builder.. Check the reputation of the builder prior to making buying decision. Don’t just go for the outlook of the construction. All that glitters is not gold. It’s quite easy to make a poor-quality building look awesome. Beware of dodgy builders. Don’t get deceived.

11- Community Services at walking distance?

Community services are very important aspect of any living. You don’t want to purchase a fantastic apartment with all the great feature but do not have schools, markets, parks, pray areas, banks and hospitals nearby. Such a waste of investment !

12- Security, Gym, Pool availability:

In-building features are equally important.. Many tenants prefer to stay in buildings having gyms and sauna. If the family has kids, they will love having kids play area and pool. Also check the security features of building such as physical appearance of guard, wireless remote based car parking entry and CCTV in lobby, common area and parking.

13- Car Parking included?

Check how many car parking are being provided. Are parking slot shaded/covered? You would not like to park your car outside the building which is prone to dust, sun and even stealing.

14- Built-in Wardrobes?

Some architects consider providing built-in wardrobes. This is to facilitate the tenants to move to the apartment without much hassle of being new cupboards. This is definitely an add-on you should consider. 

15- Number of Washrooms?  Extra Store Room? Maid Room?

Extra rooms are definitely a plus however with large apartment space, the investment will also be higher. If you are buying for your own, do your need vs wants analysis and make decision based on your buying capacity.

16- Take Your lady:

Sorry, I am writing this recommendation at number 16, whereas it should be one of the top considerations. Highly recommended to take your wife, daughter, mother, sister to see the apartment because females have that strong critical aesthetic sense which males simply don’t possess. They will surprise you by looking into the nitty gritty of interior designing aspect.

17- Agent Reliability and Legitimacy:

Remember, agents work to get commission. Be strict, logical and analytical when dealing with agents. Agents are simply sales person trying to sell a product which means you may become their victim if not being careful. Verify agents credibility by checking his (and his company’s) repute, asking for his legal identity, visiting their office and checking his LinkedIn profile. Never pay anything (cash or cheque) without proper legal documentation. 

18- Cash vs Mortgage:

Personally I do not recommend mortgage approach. Firstly, you do not have clear understanding about your rate of return on investment since you have to pay monthly charges for many years of your life. Secondly, having a liability of returning massive amount of loan causes psychological pressure. I know many people who have lost their peace, got sick and deteriorated relationships due to loan stress. Think twice before you take any decision involving financial liabilities. 

19- On-Plan vs Off Plan:

Generally speaking off-plan investment generates more profit however it requires careful ROI calculations and good understanding of future-cost-analysis of the property. 

While doing the analysis you need to consider:
  • Currency depreciation factor (especially if you are a foreigner and investing in emerging countries where currency value depreciates drastically), 
  • Revenue which you could have earned if not invested in off-plan.
  • Assurance from the builder on whether the forecasted completion date will be ensured. If not what compensation will be given to you? What are your rights as an investor and how the legal entity of land department is protecting you.
  • Check the financial status of the building company. Seek guidance from local agents or real estate companies.
  • Consider taking legal counselling before you sign the deal for off-plan  
  • What are the exact deliverables of the off-plan property (furniture details, tiles finishing, paint type etc. Check all of the features which are mentioned in this article above. All deliverables should be written in the contract.