The J&K Government has drawn up a plan to clear all pending cases under different social welfare schemes meant for old age persons in the state, Greater Kashmir has learnt.
A top official said the government would now provide monthlycash assistance to all the eligible beneficiaries. “Now there will be nopending cases,” the official said.
On Saturday, the State Administrative Council (SAC) approvedAadhaar-linked payment mode for disbursement of pension to eligible seniorcitizens, widows and physically challenged under various government sponsoredschemes.
All Deputy Commissioners have been directed to re-scrutinisethe pending cases in their respective districts so that no eligible beneficiaryis left out.
The eligible cases supported by Aadhaar numbers will be sentto the respective directorates of social welfare by the end of July.
“The directorateswill ensure that the process of Aadhaar seeding and consequent de-duplicationand weeding out of ineligible cases is expedited and the process concluded bySeptember this year,” another official said.
More than one lakh cases are pending with the departmentunder two pension schemes – Integrated Social Security Schemes (ISSS) andNational Social Assistance Program (NSAP).
Under the ISSS, a monthly assistance of Rs 1000 is providedto beneficiaries including old age people, divorcees, destitute, widows,persons with disability and those living below the poverty line.
Similarly, under the NSAP each beneficiary in the age groupof 60 years and above is provided monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,000.
The decision of the government has come as a relief for thebeneficiaries who have been waiting to receive the pension for years now.
“I have applied long back for one of the welfare scheme, Idon’t remember the year now. But I am still in the waiting list. A person toldme that the department picks and chooses their own people from the pendinglist. I am a poor woman with no political associations. I don’t know what todo,” said Aisha Begum who has been waiting for years to be added to the list ofbeneficiaries.