Thiruvananthapuram, 19 August (H.S.): The Kerala government has begun disbursing social security and welfare pensions ahead of Onam after sanctioning ₹1,105 crore for payments to more than 65 lakh beneficiaries.

The pension for August will be distributed from Wednesday, six days ahead of the customary payment date of the 25th. The government said the advance disbursal would help beneficiaries meet festival-related expenses.

The Cabinet has also approved ₹630 crore for Onam bonuses and allowances covering government employees, teachers, service pensioners, part-time and contingent workers, ASHA workers, Anganwadi personnel and other eligible groups.

As part of a wider package, ₹34 crore has been set aside to clear Anganwadi pension arrears up to July 31. Another ₹310 crore will be used to settle pending backward classes scholarships carried over from the previous government.

The government sanctioned ₹200 crore to meet urgent liabilities under health programmes, including the Karunya Arogya Suraksha Padhathi and Arogya Kiranam. It also allocated ₹150 crore to clear Paddy Receipt Sheet arrears for paddy procured through SupplyCo up to July 31.

Workers who completed 100 days under the employment guarantee scheme will receive an Onam allowance, for which ₹45 crore has been earmarked. A further ₹44 crore will enable advance payments to school midday meal cooks following a ₹1,000 wage increase.

The welfare package includes ₹26 crore for lottery sellers and agents, whose festival bonus has been raised to ₹1,000.

To curb festival-season price increases, SupplyCo and Consumerfed have been allotted ₹53 crore and ₹25 crore, respectively, for market intervention and the sale of essential goods at subsidised prices.

Rejecting claims of delays in Onam kit distribution, the government said more than six lakh kits had been prepared against demand for about 5.93 lakh. Over three lakh kits have reached ration shops and around 75,000 have already been distributed to cardholders.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman