VIJAYAWADA: In the second instalment of delivering YSR Pension Kanuka at the beneficiaries’ doorstep, the State government disbursed 87.5 per cent (as of 9.30 pm) of the pensions on the first day of the month, despite it being a Sunday. About two lakh village and ward volunteers, armed with smart devices, were pressed into service to deliver pensions to close to 58.99 lakh beneficiaries.
The officials said that the problems faced in the first instalment, when the initiative was launched in February, were rectified with the help of real-time data and special cells established to monitor the whole process. Pension to the remaining beneficiaries would be delivered at their doorstep in a day or two, the officials added.
The volunteers started the disbursement even before the crack of the dawn and they managed to deliver pensions to close to six lakh beneficiaries by 7 am.
By 1 pm, the volunteers successfully disbursed pension to 45.24 lakh beneficiaries, thus paving way for the practice of completing the process on the very first day of the month unlike in the past where it used to take a week or more, the officials said.
“It was done by the volunteers to prove that there was no scope for corruption or prejudice as per the orders of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy,” a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office read. Some volunteers even went a step ahead by handing over the pension to beneficiaries who were hospitalised. For instance, a volunteer, Anand, in Nallaguttapalle village in B Kothakota Mandal of Chittoor district, visited a beneficiary, who was admitted in a government hospital in Madanapalle and completed the disbursal process.
Transport and Information and Public Relations (I and PR) Minister Perni Venkataramaiah (Nani), who was on a visit to Machilipatnam, reportedly directed the officials concerned to suspend two volunteers for “laxity” in delivery of pensions.
It may be recalled that the government had increased the pension amount to Rs 2,250 from Rs 1,000 (as on February 1, 2019). While Rs 490 crore a month was spent towards social security pensions till February 1 last year, the officials said, Rs 1,384 crore would be spent in March this year.
For old age pension, widow, weaver, toddy tapper, fisherman, single woman, traditional cobbler and art pension categories, Rs 2,250 is being provided to beneficiaries every month.
Under the disabled pension, Rs 3,000 a month for 8,662 people, and Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 per month for 41,725 CKDU/dialysis/ thalassemia/ paralysis/heart and liver and other patients is being given.
Two volunteers to be suspended for laxity
I and PR Minister Perni Venkataramaiah (Nani)reportedly directed the officials concerned to suspend two volunteers for “laxity” in delivery of pensions
Status as of 9.30 pm
West Godavari: 92.63%
YSR Kadapa: 92.59%
Vizianagaram: 91.22%
Nellore: 91.2%
Chittoor: 90.72%
Kurnool: 90.31%
Srikakulam: 89.42%
Anantapur: 87.44%
Guntur: 86.55%
Krishna: 85.79%
Prakasam: 85.61%
East Godavari: 85.14%
Visakhapatnam: 75.65%
Art pensions: 100%
Dialysis - government hospitals: 100%
Dialysis - affiliated hospitals: 57.64%
DMHO: 54.86%
