THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : The state government has amended an order, which directed disbursal of welfare fund board pensions to only those beneficiaries who have seeded their
Aadhaar.
The
finance department, in an order issued on March 27, had directed all welfare fund boards to stipulate distribution of welfare pension only to those whose Aadhaar has been seeded to their accounts.
The directive was issued while releasing the dues of previous four months: December, January, February and March. The order had said that the welfare fund boards may seek allotment from the sum only for those beneficiaries who have either linked their Aadhaar or have sought exemption from submitting Aadhaar during the adalat organised by welfare fund boards.
It was further directed that any additional allotment shall remain as the liability of executive officers of welfare fund boards. In the amended order dated April 16, the sections dealing with mandatory seeding of Aadhaar have been taken off. TOI had carried a report on April 4 based on the order dated March 27 and cited how the
LDF government, a fierce opponent of Aadhaar, relied on it as a tool to prevent duplication of beneficiaries. The officials with finance department had said that Aadhaar linking was being used to weed out ineligible beneficiaries and to implement the system of a beneficiary availing single welfare pension.
The finance department distributes close to Rs 80 crore to 10 lakh beneficiaries of 26 welfare fund boards in the state every month. In the latest order, the government has allotted Rs 274.86 crore for clearing dues since December 2017 to 6.7 lakh beneficiaries of 17 welfare fund boards.
Of these 6.32 lakh beneficiaries have seeded their Aadhaar. According to officials with the finance department, 3 lakh pension beneficiaries of other welfare fund boards are yet to link their Aadhaar. All permanent members of welfare fund boards aged above 60 are eligible to get welfare pension of Rs 1,100 per month.
While the finance department has amended the order pertaining to seeding of Aadhaar for distribution of pension through welfare fund boards, Aadhaar still seems to be the most preferred tool for finance department to filter out ineligible beneficiaries.
The local bodies are still in dark regarding the directive to link pension database, procedures for death certificate and remarriage certificate to Aadhaar for distribution of social welfare pension. In January, the local bodies were directed to link pension database and the procedures to get death certificate and remarriage certificate with Aadhaar as part of cancelling the pensions of deceased beneficiaries and remarried beneficiaries.
The idea was mooted in the wake of reports that local bodies are allotting pension even after the death of beneficiaries and widow pension to beneficiaries after they remarry.
