93 per cent beneficiaries in Andhra pradesh get social security pensions on Day One

Braving scorching heat and the corona pandemic, 2,25,463 village/ward volunteers distributed pensions to the beneficiaries at their doorstep on the first day of the month.

Volunteers giving pension door to door during lockdown in view of outbreak of coronavirus in Vijayawada on Wednesday. (Photo| Prashant Madugula, EPS)

VIJAYAWADA:  Yet again, the village/ward volunteer system proved to be a boon to the State as they successfully managed to distribute 93 per cent of social security pensions to the beneficiaries on Wednesday amid the coronvirus lockdown.  

Braving scorching heat and the coronavirus pandemic, 2,25,463 village/ward volunteers distributed pensions to the beneficiaries at their doorstep on the first day of the month. Till 5 pm, pensions were distributed to 52.49 lakh beneficiaries in the State. "Volunteers and Secretariat staff did a great work even in the time of distress," said Principal Secretary (Panchayat Raj and Rural Development) Gopal Krishna Dwivedi.

To prevent the virus spread, the volunteers had used a photo identification method instead of the biometric system. A separate app was used to capture the beneficiaries’ photos through geo-tagging. Moreover, call centres were set up in DRDA offices to monitor the pension distribution. Senior IAS officers also monitored the entire process of pension distribution.