BHUBANESWAR: In a major relief to lakhs of elderly, widows and persons with disabilities, the agonising wait for social security pension may soon come to an end.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday announced a policy shift to ensure that all eligible beneficiaries are covered under the Madhubabu Pension Yojana (MBPY) in saturation mode, eliminating the existing system that forced applicants to wait for vacancies arising from the death of existing beneficiaries.
The chief minister described the prevailing arrangement as deeply unjust. “I am extremely disheartened to say that even today more than six lakh eligible persons are deprived of social security pension. Even after fulfilling all conditions, a person has to wait for the death of another existing beneficiary. This is an injustice to the elderly people of the state and no step was taken by the previous government to address the issue,” he said.