Initiating the process for the cleaning of social pensions provided by the state government, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has asked all those receiving pensions illegally should give up their pensions voluntarily.
The government is paying nearly Rs.2800 crores every month in the form of pensions to more than 64 lakh people in the state. In this order, the NDA coalition government has found that pensions are being given to ineligible people on a large scale across the state. In the past few years, the amount of social pension provided by AP has increased and large scale irregularities have taken place.
During the YCP regime, irregularities were also committed by changing the age in Aadhaar cards to determine the pension eligibility age. So, the present government is preparing for a comprehensive screening at the field level of how many of the 64 lakh pensioners are actually eligible.
On the other hand, the Chief Minister said that the government will act in a humane way in the case of different talents. Due to the need to take special care of the disabled, the pension has been increased from Rs 3,000 to Rs.6,000 at one time, and Rs.15,000 is being given in the form of pension every month to those who are confined to bed due to long-term health problems, unlike anywhere else in the country.
The Chief Minister made it clear that pension should be given to every eligible person, especially in the case of the disabled. The officials explained to the Chief Minister that in the previous government, there were incidents of people getting pension under the quota of disabled persons with false certificates. There were a large number of complaints in this regard. Chandrababu ordered them to stop taking pensions in the name of some disabled persons with false certificates from doctors.
The CM said that the government will not compromise on helping the genuine beneficiaries. At the same time, it will not continue with bogus pensions. Apart from giving pensions to the old people living in the villages, the CM also advised the officials to study what else can be done for them.
He suggested providing an opportunity for the elderly in villages to get services easily through digital literacy. For this, it is suggested to talk to the elderly and the respective agencies and formulate an activity. He said that at present pensions are being given to 39 lakh senior citizens in the state. Instead of giving pensions to the elderly and leaving them alone, they should think and implement programs on how to raise their living standards, he added.
