Thursday, March 17, 2016

Pension will deposited in beneficiaries account on 10th of each month

CHANDIGARH, MARCH 17
 Haryana Social Justice and Empowerment Minister  Kavita Jain  has appealed to the Legislators to guide the beneficiaries of social security pension schemes in the State that pension would be deposited in their accounts by the tenth day of each month. Therefore, they need not go   anywhere to get pension.
          Mrs. Kavita Jain was replying to a Call Attention Motion moved by MLAs, Mr. Jaswinder Singh Sandhu, Mr. Parmender Singh Dhull, Mr. Anoop Kumar and Mr. Balkaur Singh during the Budget Session of Haryana Vidhan Sabha here today.
          She said the beneficiaries should follow the requests of the disbursing agents and follow their schedule set up locally. She said that they must allow the older, disabled persons first in the queue. If there are some persons who were still taking double pension  from two sources, or rural and urban, or out of two schemes, the information about the same could be given secretly on the website and even the name of source was not required to be given, so that the mistake could be corrected. Such persons should be requested to surrender the wrong pension immediately, she added.
          She said that the Legislators must involve local NGOs and volunteers and make pension disbursal a ‘celebration day’. NGOs could arrange a shed, offer some chairs, tea, water and even medical check-up or physiotherapy at the venue, she added.
          The Minister said that beneficiaries must be guided so that they draw only as much amount as they need at one time and not the full amount, and make some savings. She said that pensioners must not spend the amount on liquor, ‘tobacco’, ‘bhukki’ and other such substances so that ultimately their quality of life improves.
          She said that Rs 3,804 crore were being disbursed among 22,35,197 beneficiaries of social security pension schemes under the ‘Thari Pension Thare Pass’. She said that the Haryana Government was giving Rs 16,800 annually to each pensioner, and Rs 317 crore per month, that is Rs 3,804 crore per annum, which is a very big amount considering the resource constraint of the State. The pension would increase by Rs 200 every year and by 2019 it would become Rs 2,000 per month or the total amount would be Rs 7,200 crore, which showed the determination of the State to honour the elderly and other beneficiaries. “It is the responsibility of each one of us that the smiles we see on the faces of the pensioners are worth this amount,” she added.
          She said that the Haryana Government was providing social security allowance/pension for the welfare of senior citizens, widows and destitute women and disabled persons at the rate of Rs 1,400 per month per person to 20,89,125 persons, including 13,68,355 senior citizens, 5,85,590 widows and destitute women and 1,35,180 disabled persons.
          She said that a sum of Rs 292.48 crore was paid for the month of February, 2016, in March, 2016. Total payout for 22.11 lakh beneficiaries in March, 2016 for all schemes amounted to Rs 304.20 crore. The accounts uploaded as on date are as detailed below:
Schemes
Total Beneficiaries
Old Age Samman Allowance @1400/-
1375133
Disability Pension@1400/-
136235
Widow Pension@1400/-
589993
Financial Assistance to Destitute Children (One Child) @500/-
26139
Financial Assistance to Destitute Children (Two Child) @1000/-
74377
Ladli Social Security Allowance@1400/-
27243
Financial Assistance to Kashmiri Migrants@1000/-
1
Financial Assistance to Non School Going Disabled Children@700/-
6038
Eunuch@1400/-
16
Dwarf@1400/-
22
Total Beneficiaries
2235197

          The Minister said that the pension was being disbursed through six different modes, including bank, post offices, Primary Agricultural Credit Societies, Business Correspondent Agents (BCAs), Vodafone M-pesa and Common Service Centres (CSCs). Beneficiaries could also withdraw their pensions through these modes, she added. Apart from this, they could also withdraw the amount through cheque or ATM facility given by the bank. Directions have also been issued to all banks and agencies to disburse the amount at the doorstep of beneficiaries who are bedridden due to disability or old age (80 years and above). She said that beneficiaries could check the details related to their accounts online.
          The Minister said, “Haryana is a state where banking and BCA network is yet to be developed to its full potential. Still, we are constantly in touch with the banks and at each State Level Bankers Committee meetings, this issue has been taken up to set up new bank branches and BCAs in Haryana in order to improve the services. As many as 196 new bank branches are proposed to be opened in Haryana in 2016-17. There are in all 1,708 rural, 1,065 semi-urban and 1,613 urban bank branches in Haryana. Some villages have more than one and some have no branch as well. New licenses keep coming from RBI as per demand. There will be 3,263 BCAs in Haryana by 2016-17. About 30 new BCAs are coming up shortly in Haryana. All 2,127 (total 2,500) BPOs are being linked to Centralised Banking System by Postal Department soon. The Postal Banks have also agreed to disburse pension in nearby villages through Gramin Dak Sewaks in a few months’ time. Vodafone M-Pesa has also got a banking license from RBI and will be expanding its footprint in the State. It has 3,400 agents in Haryana now. State Government is setting up 2,337 CSCs in Haryana within this year and these are being made into BCAs. Later, all the 6,000 villages are proposed to be converted into BCAs.”
===balbirsingh227@gmail.com

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