The welfare locked by an old SIM card that no longer exists
👩 Mira Das, 43, in Tollygunge, Kolkata, had received ₹1,000 every month from West Bengal's Lakshmir Bhandar scheme since 2023. The money helped her manage her household. In February 2026, the Duare Sarkar portal sent an SMS: "Your Lakshmir Bhandar account needs re-verification. An OTP has been sent to your registered phone number." The registered phone number was her late mother-in-law's—a SIM that had been deactivated two years ago. Mira tried to update the phone number on the portal, but the system required an OTP from the old number first. She couldn't access an old SIM. The account was locked. The payments stopped.
🚨 The problem
Government portals often require OTP verification on the phone number registered at enrollment. If that SIM is deactivated or changed, beneficiaries face a catch-22: they can't access the old phone to receive the OTP, but the portal won't let them update the phone number without first verifying the old OTP. This creates indefinite account locks, with no clear way to restore access.
🚀 How GabFORGE helped
GabFORGE escalated the OTP barrier to the state level and found both documentation and bypass paths:
- 📞 Escalated to Women and Child Development Department. Contacted the state department explaining the situation: the registered SIM belonged to a deceased relative, the SIM was deactivated, and the beneficiary needed account access restored.
- 📋 Documented the death. Prepared death certificate and family relationship documents showing why the SIM was no longer accessible.
- 🔐 Requested OTP-bypass authorization. Asked the state department to issue an official letter authorizing the Duare Sarkar portal to bypass OTP verification given the documented circumstances.
- 📱 Updated phone number via offline channels. With the bypass authorization, Mira visited a designated Duare Sarkar service centre and updated her phone number directly with a staff member (no OTP required).
The state department issued bypass authorization within 5 working days. Mira's phone number was updated, her account was reactivated, and she received her held payment (₹3,000 for February and March) plus her regular monthly transfer. ✅
🇮🇳 Why this matters
Beneficiaries inherit registered phone numbers they can't control (deceased relatives, old family SIMs). Systems should have offline or escalation pathways for these situations. GabFORGE reveals that state departments can issue bypass authorizations—you need to ask the right authority.
The long version has Mira's discovery that the registered phone number was her late mother-in-law's, her failed attempts to bypass the OTP wall, and the relief when an offline service centre finally restored her account.