Arrangements Made For Doorstep Distribution Of Pensions On August 1

AMARAVATI: Fulfilling its promise, the Andhra Pradesh government has made arrangements to distribute pensions to 61.28 lakh beneficiaries at their doorsteps on August 1. About 2.68 lakh of village volunteers were readied to handover pensions to the beneficiaries. The government has already released Rs 1,478.90 crores for the purpose.

Chief Minister YS Jagan has given directions to ensure that every pensioner should get their pension on the first of every month. To this extent, officials have taken steps to distribute pensions pertaining to the month of July that would be handed over on August 1.

The pension sum was already deposited in the accounts of Village and Ward secretaries. The village volunteers will deliver the cash at the house of each beneficiary. The move is exemplary as the old, sick and physically challenged are saved from the ordeal of going to the pension disbursement offices every month.

The system of geo-tagging of photos of beneficiaries will be continued for this month as well instead of biometric verification as part of COVID-19 measures to control the spread of coronavirus in the state, said Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) CEO Raja Babu.

As many as 6,734 pensioners across the state are receiving their pensions through portability this month, while 1,458 are on hold as they were in other places due to COVID-19 lockdown and they would be paid after returning to their native places.

About 14,967 people had applied for pension transfer to other districts and another 30,044 had sought transfer of pension to stay in the same district. About 1,52,095 people who could not get a pension for the last six months due to various reasons were also being paid this month.

State Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Peddireddy Ramachandrareddy has said that pensions will also be distributed to 2,20,385 newly sanctioned people this month and also Rs 51.67 crore has been released for the newly sanctioned pensions.