VIJAYAWADA: Stating that the government wants to provide pensions to genuine beneficiaries, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday noted that ineligible people were submitting fake certificates to avail the financial assistance and urged them to voluntarily give up pensions.
During a review meeting on Monday with senior officials on the welfare and pension for the specially-abled individuals, Naidu pointed out that soon after he formed the government, monthly pension for the differently-abled was doubled to Rs 6,000, while people suffering from chronic diseases and relegated to bed were given Rs 15,000.
Asserting that a humane approach will be taken in addressing issues related to differently-abled persons, he emphasised that no one eligible for social welfare pensions will be denied government aid. However, he said, it has come to his notice that a few people have produced fake certificates to avail the benefits, despite being ineligible. “We do not want the welfare programme to be misused,” he added.
Directing the officials to formulate an action plan to remove ineligible people, Naidu opined that misusing the programme was nothing but doing injustice to genuine beneficiaries. He added that Grama Sabhas will be organised to determine the eligibility for pensions. Further, he directed officials to allocate 30 acres to build a sports centre with `200 crore for the differently-abled. The Centre has sanctioned the sports centre for AP, he said.