Pensioners paying for mistakes by officials
VIJAYAWADA : While the government is boasting about enhancement of social security pension amount under the 'NTR Bharosa' scheme, many eligible pensioners are complaining that their names have been deleted from the pensioners' list.
This has come to light when a group of old women and men raised their voice against the government for deleting their names from the pensioners' list.
'I have been getting widow pension for the past 10 years. But this time around, my pension has been scrapped as in my Aadhar card my gender was recorded as 'male'. I have lost my pension due to the fault of the officials,' said K Nagendramma, a widow.
It is said that in Vijayawada, the names of 4,919 have been deleted from the list for various reasons. Of them, 2,800 are old-age pensions, 1,641 are widow pensions, 404 are disabled pensions.
Old people are being denied their pensions if there are inconsistencies in the details in various documents like ration cards and Aadhaar cards.
For instance, the widow pension of V Lakhsmikantamma, who is working as a domestic servant, has been cancelled as she owns a land of 5 acres according to government records. 'I do not know where I have 5 acres of land. If I have so much land why would I work as a domestic servant?' reasoned Lakshmikantamma.
As complaints about denial of social security pensions to the eligible in the name of rules are increasing on the one hand, new applications are being accepted during the ongoing 'Janmabhoomi Maa Vuru' programme.
'The government should first make sure that all eligible people get penisons. It is not fair to punish poor people for the mistakes committed by officials in recording details in ration cards and Aadhaar cards.
If the government does not change its ways, the beneficiaries will soon raise a banner of revolt for pensions,' said CPM city secretary Ch Babu Rao.
News Posted: 10 October, 2014
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