The Pakistan Post Office is preparing to introduce biometric authentication for deliveries of pensions and income subsidies.

The initiative is aimed at reducing queues at post offices and reducing fraud when it comes to the disbursement of pensions and Benazir Income Support (BISP) payments. The first phase of the project will see Pakistan Post agents using thumbprint verification for deliveries of these payments at recipients’ homes, while the second phase will introduce an ATM network enabling even more convenient access to these payments for qualified recipients.

The move appears to reflect a broader, growing enthusiasm for biometric technology in the country, which has recently seen the introduction of biometric registration for mobile subscribers, the use of biometrics to track the teaching workforce in remote communities, and a tentative step toward biometric polling. And this interest could be fuelled in part by the great efforts of neighbouring India to use biometric identification for a wide range of administrative purposes.

In this case, of course, there are very direct benefits that could be reaped from the biometric authentication measures—benefits that will reach both Pakistan Post and the citizens it serves.

Source: Daily Pakistan Global

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March 2, 2016 – by Alex Perala