The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Probe ordered into delay in payment of old-age pensions

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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Probe ordered into delay in payment of old-age pensions

Correspondent

MPDOs warned of serious action

VIZIANAGARAM: Chairman of Vigilance and Monitoring Committee and Lok Sabha member Botcha Jhansi Lakhmi has ordered an inquiry into the delay in payment of old age pensions in Pachipenta mandal and take suitable action, if necessary, against the MPDO. The MP was reacting to a complaint from P. Prasada Rao, mandal parishad president that old age pensions were not paid till date.

At the review meeting on rural development programmes by the Vigilance and Monitoring Committee at ZP Conference Hall on Saturday, the MP warned MPDOs of serious action if the old age pensions were not disbursed on the first of every month. Tentu Lakshmi Naidu (TDP MLA) suggested strict monitoring in the identification of beneficiaries as pensions were being sanctioned even to the ineligible. G. Vasudeva Rao, Project Director of DRDA said that the pension amount was being deposited every month on the 25th itself and there was no reason for delay and added that the inquiry into the delay would begin immediately. He said that the number of old age pensions had gone up from 64,619 to 1,44,197, weavers from 1,219 to 2,711, disabled from 7,990 to 23,181 and widow pensions from 10,007 to 48,150. Stating that the DRDA had crossed the targets under SGSY and Remote and Interior Area Development (RIAD) programmes by 10 per cent (4,981 against the target of 4,490), Mr. Vasudeva Rao said that the annual plan for SGSY with an outlay of Rs.544.28 lakhs for the current fiscal was pending for approval of the Centre.

More grants

Expressing satisfaction with the progress, Ms. Jhansi Lakshmi said that she would be able to recommend for more grants if only the MPPs submitted reports after fully utilising the sanctioned grants. As majority of MPPs did not attend the meeting, the LS member asked the Project Director to give prior information about the meeting in future.

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