Pension tension in Andhra again!

[Anta Assamey]

As the first day of the next month is fast approaching, distribution of pensions among the beneficiaries in Andhra Pradesh has become a big issue once again in the wake of politicking over the issue in the first week of April.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday issued orders over distribution of pension distribution to Andhra Pradesh government on March 30.

However, on receiving complaints that the beneficiaries are facing trouble due to delay in pension distribution, the EC alerted the Chief Secretary again.

The ECI asked Chief Secretary K S Jawahar Reddy to take suitable action basing on the ground realities and follow the guidelines, and ensure that the beneficiaries are not put to any hardship, due to the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct.

The Commission also made it clear that only permanent government employees be assigned the task of pension distribution to the beneficiaries' houses but not the village/ward volunteers.

The EC also informed the CS that it has received several complaints regarding the beneficiaries’ facing troubles in the distribution of pensions.

However, the chief secretary told the EC officials that the distribution of pensions would be done at the village and ward secretariats itself, as was done last time and there is no possibility of distributing the pensions at the door steps of the beneficiaries.

He wrote back to the EC that he had already reviewed the situation with the officials of the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) and district collectors and they had expressed their helplessness for distribution of pensions to all the beneficiaries at the doorstep.

Out of 1.60 lakh village and ward secretariat staff, only 1.26 lakh employees are working and others were deputed to various election works.

“So, on an average, there are only eight employees in each village/ward secretariat, who cannot distribute pensions to each and every beneficiary at their homes,” he said.

The chief secretary, however, said pensions would be distributed at door steps only in case of immobile senior citizens and physically challenged persons. Others will have to come to the secretariats to collect their pensions. 

“All arrangements would be made for them at the secretariats, so that they would not face troubles due to severe summer,” he said, adding that the pension distribution would be completed by May 3.