WARANGAL/ MAHABUBABAD: As many as 15,776 applications for Aasara pension are awaiting approval in Warangal (Urban), Warangal (Rural) and Mahabubabad districts. Though the beneficiaries have been making the rounds of mandal panchayat offices to get their applications sanctioned, they haven’ t met wi th much success. When Express obtained data regarding applications pending approval in each district under erstwhile Warangal, it was found that in Warangal (Urban), the officials are yet to sanction 6,776 new applications.
In Warangal (Rural), this figure is 3,400 and in Mahabubabad, it is 5,600. Currently, 1.88 lakh beneficiaries in Warangal (Urban) are receiving the Aasara pension, which amounts to `24 crore. While 82,922 beneficiaries in Warangal (Rural) are getting the pension, worth a total of `20.74 crore, 97,378 people in Mahabubabad are also availing the pension, which adds up to `22.85 crore.
The scheme was introduced to lend a helping hand to senior citizens who fall in the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category, Persons with Disabilities (PwD), widows, weavers, single women and HIV patients. The pension amount is directly deposited to the postal/bank accounts of the beneficiaries by the State government.
‘Submitted my application seven months ago’
Speaking to Express, V Linganna, a PwD who is an Aasara beneficiary from Dharmasagar mandal in Warangal (Urban), said he had submitted his application to the Mandal Parishad Development Officer (MPD O) seven months ago by enclosing all necessary documents. “I have not received a single penny till date. When I contacted the officials, they said that my application has been approved, but the State government is yet to release the funds for new applicants,” says Linganna.
Linganna urged the State government to provide the pension soon so that he can utilise the amount for his children’s education. When Express contacted a few district officials, they said that the mandal-level officials have completed the sanctioning of new applications and have forwarded the same to Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) for approval. The district officials also pointed out that the SERP has to complete this process before they can start sanctioning and releasing the pension funds. Further, the officials said that several applications are pending with the SERP since July, 2019.
Govt’s helping hand
The Aasara pension scheme was introduced to lend a helping hand to senior citizens who fall in the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category, Persons with Disabilities (PwD), widows, weavers, single women and HIV patients in the State