To ensure transparency in disbursement of social security pensions, Haryana Chief Minister, Manohar lal Khattar transferred social security pensions of July 2015 amounting to about Rs119 crore directly into the bank accounts of 10,01,795 eligible beneficiaries under the scheme “Thari Pension Thare Pass” by pressing a button on Tuesday.Under the first phase of this scheme, over ten lakh beneficiaries living in 1,744 villages and all the 81 towns in the State would get pensions through banks and post offices. The residents of other villages would, for the time being, get the pension manually.
The beneficiaries of social security schemes would get their pension through different methods including Banks, Branch Post Offices, Resident Business Correspondent Agents (BCAs), Additional BCAs, Primary Agricultural Cooperative Society (PACS), Vodafone M-Pesa, Common Service Centres and Gramin Dak Sewaks. The beneficiaries could withdraw the amount as per their requirement as and when they feel convenient. At present there are over 23.3 lakh beneficiaries getting benefit under various social security schemes upon which an expenditure of Rs270 crores monthly is being incurred.
Khattar said to bring more transparency, the State Government had decided to disburse various social security pensions like Old Age Samman Allowance, Widow and destitute pension, Disability pension, ladli Social Security Schemes, financial assistance to destitute children, allowances to eunuchs, allowances to dwarfs and disabled children through Banks.
He said disbursement of Social Security Pension through banks and post offices was started from the month of February with 51 villages and has gradually increased to 1744 villages and all the 81 towns of the State covering almost half of the pensioners in the State. He said that there has been an encouraging response in opening bank accounts.
Khattar assured that each eligible beneficiary in the State would get pension and no beneficiary would be deprived of his or her benefit. He said in case the pension is delayed due to some reason they would get the pension along with the arrear.He said that those beneficiaries who did not have bank accounts should open their accounts in the nearby branches so that they could take the benefit of various social security pensions. The Social Justice and Empowerment Department would assist them for the same.
“If a beneficiary does not open bank account within a specified period, he or she would be treated as ineligible. However, if thereafter any eligible beneficiary is left out, he or she could also open bank account with the help of the department," he said. The CM said that the moment they open their account, the arrear of the pension would be deposited in their account.
The Chief Minister said that those villages where there are no bank branches, pension would be disbursed through Business Correspondent Agents (BCAs) of banks located in the nearby villages and through Post Offices. Apart from this, those beneficiaries who are above 80 years of age and are not physically fit to go to banks to collect their pension, they would be given pension at their door step.
Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Kavita Jain said that some beneficiaries had not opened their bank accounts till end of July despite three notices. Out of them 1,12,227 beneficiaries, who have opened their bank accounts now have been given arrears amounting to Rs13.23 crore from March to May by crediting the same into their bank accounts.She said that over 1.44 lakh fresh pensions had been sanctioned till June 2015 by the BJP government in the State and instructions have been issued to dispose off all fresh and pending cases within two months.
Additional Chief Secretary, Social Justice and Empowerment Department Sunil Gulati said that the State Government has so far transferred Rs370.43 crore as pension directly into the accounts of the beneficiaries. He said there would be no scope of misappropriation in the distribution of pension.