Bhubaneswar, 09 November (H.S.): The BJP government in Odisha has taken a major step towards strengthening social security and financial support for the poor, elderly, widows, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable sections of society. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has included 5,05,800 newly identified eligible beneficiaries under the pension scheme, bringing an end to the alleged 'death vacancy' system that existed during the previous Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government.

BJP State spokesperson Anil Biswal announced this at a press conference at the party's state headquarters on Monday.

Biswal said that during the previous BJD government, eligible poor people aged above 60 had to wait for an existing pension beneficiary in their panchayat or ward to die before they could receive a pension. Due to this alleged 'death vacancy' system, more than five lakh eligible applicants remained deprived of pension benefits for years despite submitting applications.

He questioned the BJD, which remained in power for 25 years, over the rationale behind such a system for providing pensions to poor people. He said that after coming to power, the BJP government identified the problem and, through the online portal and block-level surveys, included all 5,05,800 identified eligible beneficiaries directly under the Madhubabu Pension Yojana.

Total pension beneficiaries to reach 61.65 lakh

Biswal said that pensions in Odisha are provided under two schemes — the Madhubabu Pension Yojana and the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP). At present, around 56.60 lakh beneficiaries are receiving assistance under these two schemes. With the addition of 5,05,800 new beneficiaries, the total number will increase to approximately 61.65 lakh, marking an all-time high in the state's history.

He further stated that the combined budget of the Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Department stood at Rs 2,109 crore in 2022-23 and Rs 3,260 crore in 2023-24 under the previous BJD government. After the BJP came to power, the department's budget has been increased nearly threefold to Rs 9,610 crore.

Biswal questioned the Opposition over the relatively low budgetary allocation for the sector during the BJD regime.

Claims of pension discontinuation misleading: BJP

Responding to questions from journalists, Biswal alleged that the BJD and Congress were misleading people through false claims on social media that the BJP government had discontinued pension benefits for beneficiaries.

He said that 20,12,558 beneficiaries are registered under the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) in Odisha. The Central Government periodically undertakes KYC updates and verification of beneficiary details under various welfare schemes. During the latest verification exercise, discrepancies were detected in the records of around nine lakh beneficiaries.

According to Biswal, the State Government resolved the issues concerning nearly eight lakh beneficiaries by updating their records within a month. A special door-to-door campaign was subsequently launched to address the cases of the remaining 1.02 lakh beneficiaries, and almost all the issues have since been resolved.

He said that pension payments have so far been successfully made to approximately 19.90 lakh beneficiaries under NSAP. Around 23,000 beneficiaries are still facing documentation-related issues involving details such as PAN cards, Aadhaar cards and PIN codes. Individual surveys are being conducted on a pilot basis to resolve these discrepancies.

Biswal added that even if some beneficiaries continue to face technical difficulties in receiving their pensions, the State Government has decided to provide them the state's share of the pension amount in cash.

He clarified that there has been no disruption in the Madhubabu Pension Yojana, which covers more than 36 lakh beneficiaries. Alleging that the BJD was spreading misleading information through its sarpanches and other party representatives, he reiterated that the BJP government was committed to ensuring the rights and entitlements of every eligible poor and underprivileged person.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda