Bhubaneswar, Nov 10 (IANS) Announcing an end to the waiting period for social security pensions, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday said no elderly person, senior citizen, person with disabilities or helpless individual in the state will henceforth be deprived of any assistance provided by the government.
“Today is a historic day for Odisha. From today, no elder, senior citizen, person with disability, or destitute individual in the state will be deprived of government assistance. From today, eligible beneficiaries will no longer have to wait to receive the Madhubabu Pension. The era of waiting has come to an end; the era of honouring your rights has begun,” CM Majhi said.
He was speaking at a programme in Baleshwar, where he launched the saturation initiative under the Madhu Babu Pension Yojana and inaugurated the Unified Pension Management Portal (UPMP).
The Chief Minister said the previous government had imposed fixed quotas at the state and district levels, due to which an eligible person could receive a pension only after an existing beneficiary passed away.
Describing the arrangement as insensitive and inhuman, he said his government has abolished the system to ensure that no eligible person is denied social security benefits.
Under the saturation drive, 5,05,817 additional eligible people have been brought under the scheme, taking the total number of beneficiaries to 41,80,825. The government has made an additional annual budgetary provision of Rs 625 crore to cover the newly included beneficiaries.
Majhi said expenditure of Rs 500–600 crore should not be a reason to make elderly people suffer or deprive them of their entitlements.
The amount, he said, was a worthwhile investment in the welfare and dignity of senior citizens. The newly launched UPMP will make the pension application and disbursement process simpler, faster and more transparent. Eligible applicants can apply online through the portal or visit the nearest Jana Seva Kendra or Block Development Officer’s office.
Pension will be provided from the month following the application. Beneficiaries will automatically receive an enhanced monthly pension of Rs 3,500 after attaining 80 years of age, without having to submit a fresh application.
Newly enrolled beneficiaries will receive their October and November pensions together. District-level distribution programmes will be held on November 11 and 12, followed by block-level programmes on November 13 and 14.
Those unable to collect the amount at these programmes can receive it in cash from their respective panchayat or municipal offices on November 25. Regular monthly pension payments will be made on the 15th of every month from December.
During the programme, the Chief Minister also inaugurated 28 development projects worth Rs 78 crore and laid foundation stones for 42 projects worth Rs 262 crore in Baleshwar district.
–IANS
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