Two senior retired IAS officers asked the Election Commission to take action against those responsible for the delay in the distribution of pensions in Andhra Pradesh, that led to death of few elder people.Nimmagadda Ramesh, a retired IAS officer, who was the AP State former Chief Election Commissioner and General Secretary of Citizens for Democracy (CFD) and former Chief Secretary of the AP Government LV Subramanyam met the AP Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Kumar Meena seeking to initiate suitable action on this issue.
There are 65 lakh pension beneficiaries in the state. They recalled that the Central Election Commission, though directed not to use the services of volunteers for pension distribution, suggested an alternate arrangement. But, they felt that it was intentionally the state government that delayed the process so as to gain political mileage by accusing the opposition of coming in the way of pension distribution.
Referring to the government’s evil designs, they said that some have filed a public interest litigation in the High Court to distribute pensions with volunteers. But the High Court expressed anger at their argument and ordered the distribution of pensions on time.
It was alleged that the distribution of pensions was deliberately delayed. The delay was caused by first diverting funds of Rs 2,000 crores for payment of contractors. Chief Secretary Jawahar Reddy has reportedly neglected distribution of pensions on time. They have asked the CEO to take action whatever the reasons for this delay.
Meanwhile, TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu accused Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for hatching conspiracies that have claimed lives of innocent pensioners. Demanding Jagan to resign as Chief Minister, he accused the YSRCP president of habitually resorting to cheap politics over the death of people.
Speaking to media persons at Nallajerla in East Godavari district on Friday, the TDP chief stated that though the ECI did not object to the distribution of pensions at the doorstep of the beneficiaries, the government failed in arranging the required money and was instead blaming the Opposition parties for the delay in distribution of pensions and deaths of beneficiaries.
Alleging that Jagan had earlier emerged victorious in the polls by killing his own paternal uncle and passing the buck on the TDP, Naidu said the Chief Minister has tried to capitalise on the death of his own father for political gains. “Once again, he (Jagan) is trying to win these elections by politicising the deaths of several innocent pensioners,” he remarked.
