Congress activists demand early release of social pensions to poor

Congress activists and handicapped persons during a protest rally at Bhagwati Nagar in Jammu. -Excelsior/Rakesh
Congress activists and handicapped persons during a protest rally at Bhagwati Nagar in Jammu. -Excelsior/Rakesh

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 1: Expressing serious concern over the pathetic condition of widows, orphans, handicapped and old-aged people, the Congress activists today took out a protest rally demanding release of long pending pensions in favour of these socially alienated persons.
The protest rally was taken out in Bhagwati Nagar under the guidance of MR Sharma, Ward president of Congress for Bhagwati Nagar, while JL Kaul, block president and Vinay Sharma, general secretary, DCC Jammu Urban, were also present. The protest rally was largely attended by the socially alienated persons, who are waiting for the already announced release of their enhanced pensions for quite some time.
While addressing the protesting activists and socially alienated persons, Vinay Sharma raised serious concern over the Government’s indifferent attitude towards release of already announced Rs 1000 social pension to the deserving population of the society.
He also remarked that instead of appending money on unproductive areas, the Government must focus and utilize that money in providing financial assistance to the uncovered segments of the society, who are in extreme distress.
Sharma further said that thousands of financial assistance cases of widows, orphans, old aged people and handicapped persons are pending for years at Social Welfare offices in different districts of the State for want of funds. “The condition of these needy people has been worsened by the delay in release of their meager monetary entitlements”, he added.
Sharma highlighted that majority of the population of the area has still not received Aadhaar Cards and some have not even been enrolled for the same, as the Government has already closed the Aadhaar enrollment centres but on the other hand Social Welfare Department is just asking for the submission of Aadhaar cards.
He urged the Government to restart the process for the enrollment of Aadhaar Cards and simultaneously allow the concerned agencies to release the revised pension to the existing pension holders while keeping their earlier documentation into consideration.

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