BHUBANESWAR: Subhadra beneficiaries taken off the list a year after crossing the age of 60 years are unlikely to receive Old Age Pension (OAP) any time soon despite their eligibility as the state has a pendency of over six lakh applications for the social security benefits.
As per the norms of flagship Subhadra scheme which is in force for a period of five years, women attaining 21 years will qualify for assistance and those crossing 60 years will be excluded automatically. However, the ex-beneficiaries can get OAP if they meet the pension eligibility criteria.
Sources said 93,792 women, after crossing 60 years, have been excluded from Subhadra scheme after they received two installments of Rs 5,000 each in the first year of the scheme. A good number of these former beneficiaries should have received OAP, if not ineligible otherwise.
If a communication from the Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) department to Women and Child Development (WCD) department is to be believed, the sanction of pension to ex-beneficiaries of Subhadra is subject to meeting all eligibility criteria as per corresponding scheme guidelines and availability of vacancies.
While the WCD department implements the Subhadra scheme, SSEPD department disburses the OAP and disability pension.
Sources said there are over six lakh applications awaiting sanction in the state with Ganjam topping the list followed by Mayurbhanj, Cuttack, Balasore, Khurda and Sundargarh.
Odisha has around 36.75 lakh beneficiaries under Madhu Babu Pension Yojana (MBPY) and 21 lakh under National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP). Notwithstanding the two schemes, large numbers of applications are pending for sanction, sources said.
“The state government sets the target to sanction pensions every year. This year, the target has been revised four times and still the waitlist is huge. Eligible people can be added only if there are vacancies following deaths of existing beneficiaries,” said an official of SSPED department.
Although the WCD department had earlier made it clear that it would transfer the data of Subhadra ex-beneficiaries to the SSEPD department after their age-related exclusion, the later has clarified that the ex-beneficiaries can apply for social security pension and the district social security officers will extend all necessary support in applying for the OAP.
“There might be instances wherein waitlisted applicants under both MBPY and NSAP either have not yet availed any such benefits or turn out to be more aged/needier than the ex-beneficiaries of Subhadra scheme who have already availed the benefits from the government. As such, no special provision/exemption is required for sanction of pension to these ex-beneficiaries,” read the letter to WCD department.