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| NOAPS denied to 45% pensioners in Bandipora district | | | Syed Tahir Bukhari
BANDIPORA, Oct 26: The centrally sponsored, National Old Age Pension Scheme which is meant for old people above 65 years of below poverty line (BPL) category has not been extended to whole of Bandipora district of north Kashmir.
According to sources almost 45% people are not receiving any pension due to unknown reasons by the department of Social Welfare, and those who were enlisted are getting meager amount of Rs. 200 or less as pension per month.
Mohammad Ramzan Ganie an applicant of Papchan told Early Times that, "The centrally sponsored, National Old Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS) is in operation since November 2007, but only 45% beneficiaries were covered under the scheme, and that too the amount is not given to them after completion of a month. He says that 'the state government receives a consolidated amount from government of India under various schemes like National Old Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS) and Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS).
"The State government should make clear allocations separately for both the schemes based on the estimates and ensure that all the money allocated for NOAPS and is spent under this scheme and not divert to IGNOAPS or any other State scheme, Ganie said.
Another beneficiary under NOAPS, Shahmali Begum of Aahargam said that the state government should put in place a proper and transparent procedure to identify beneficiaries for this scheme. The procedure for application for benefit under the scheme must be simplified. The payment should be immediately transferred into the bank accounts of beneficiaries after every month.
"The payments should have been made on time and that the old people do not have to make repeated visits to the bank to get their pensions. As people like us, from far flung villages have to travel long distances to get the pension, Shahmali said.
However she alleges that, she went to the bank once in three months, after all that, the pension has not been deposited into my account on time. As the banks are allowing the pensioners to withdraw their money only on a fixed day, leading to overcrowding and long waits, she complained.Various old aged beneficiaries suggested that, the State Government should send instructions to the banks to allow the old people to withdraw their pension money on any day of the month, as other customers of the bank can do, and not necessarily on one day of a month or a quarter.
"The irony is that these funds are not being properly disbursed or utilized on these helpless beneficiaries, whereas matter of the fact is that the central government is providing all assistance to the state governments under various social welfare schemes which are meant for these old aged people".
The state government must take serious steps to enhance the pension amount of Rs. 200 and should be increased to Rs. 500 per person per month, as the amount could hardly bring bread and butter for them in a month, they said. |
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