Other States - Puducherry   

Pension disbursal: new move flayed

PUDUCHERRY: Left parties, trade unions and representatives of local bodies in the Union Territory have described the Government’s decision to disburse pension for the aged, destitutes, disabled and widows through banks as an act of throwing a spanner in the works, even as Minister for Social Welfare M. Kandasamy has made it clear that the offer is only “optional.”

Some of the legislators in the urban areas have already taken the initiative to start accounts for beneficiaries in nationalised or cooperative banks. Mr. Kandasamy said the beneficiaries would not be affected as the accounts were started with “zero balance”. Those who wanted to receive the pension through the anganwadis could continue to do so, he added.

But the beneficiaries in different parts of the Union Territory have staged demonstrations protesting the government’s move.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India have asked the government not to upset the apple cart. They have cautioned against troubling the aged and the disabled to go to banks at far off places to receive their pension.

Official sources said the move to provide pension through banks was taken in the wake of complaints of irregularities in the disbursement through anganwadis.

Working president of the Puducherry Anganwadi Staff Association R. Anandarajan told The Hindu that the government’s move was bound to fail in view of the problems involved in it.

Recalling the implementation of the pension scheme for the aged, disabled, destitutes and widows in Puducherry, he said the task was entrusted to the Postal Department till 1988. Following certain complaints, the then administration decided to ask the anganwadi personnel to disburse it. The services of anganwadi workers and helpers were regularised in two phases in 2004 and 2006, he added.

By and large, the scheme was carried out smoothly till July last, he said. Disbursal of monthly pension to the tune of Rs. 4 crore to as many as 75,000 beneficiaries through 688 anganwadi centres ran into trouble as the Government decided to transfer the personnel on a large-scale.

The workers and helpers went on a month-long strike protesting against the move, which according to them, was opposed to the ICDS service guidelines that locals should be appointed to anganwadi centres, he said.

Under the existing system, each centre took care of 400 houses and the personnel reached out to the beneficiaries to hand over the assistance, Mr. Anandarajan said.

Honorary president of the Confederation of Government Employees’ Associations C.H. Balamohanan said the decision to do away with the present arrangement would affect the beneficiaries as the anganwadi personnel were able to maintain contact with the people at the grassroots level.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Pension disbursal: new move flayed
“Fee reimbursement scheme may be altered”
More funds for tourism: Rangasamy
DMK, allies to discuss bandh tomorrow
MCA counselling final round today
BJP stages stir
Lok Adalat
JIPMER anti-autonomy activists stage demonstration

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu