GOVT RELEASES ~128 CRORE FOR OLDAGE PENSION
Friday, 02/02/2018
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Chandigarh: The Punjab finance department has released Rs 128 crore for payment of old age pension at enhanced rate of Rs 750 per month in the state.
The department gave the information during a meeting chaired by chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh to review various social welfare schemes in the state, said an official spokesperson. Underlining the need to regularise the pension payment to beneficiaries, the chief minister said genuine beneficiaries deserved timely payment and his government was committed to ensuring that they do not suffer in any way because of the problems created by the previous government.
Hopeful that the process of pension payment would be regularized by March this year, Amarinder directed the finance department to resolve the cases of absentee beneficiaries at the earliest, so that all eligible persons are included in the list. The total number of beneficiaries currently stands at 16,24,269, against the earlier 19,87,196. The department had earlier disclosed that 93,521 cases (4.7%) were found ineligible, while another 1.9 lakh were absentees. The ineligible cases related to those who did not fulfil the eligibility criteria.
