HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, May 27: Altogether 12,56,698 senior citizens would get old age pension under the Swahid Kushal Konwar Sarbajanin Briddha Pension Achoni (SKKSBPA) and a total of 13,15,759 number of beneficiaries have been sanctioned under the scheme so far, an official statement of panchayat and rural development department said here on Thursday.
Similarly, 1,70,034 beneficiaries have already received their monthly pension under the Indira Miri Universal Widow Pension Scheme (IMUWPS) and a total of 1,85,332 beneficiaries have been sanctioned under it, the statement said.
The number of beneficiaries under both the schemes is likely to be increased as both the schemes are universal, it said.
The fund release process of SKKSBPA and IMUWPS, implemented through the panchayat and rural development (P&RD) department, has been simplified as the state cabinet decided to bring the two schemes out of ceiling purview in its regular weekly meeting.
The new system will significantly ease the process of getting pensions benefitting more than 15 lakh persons.
From now onwards, the approval of the finance department for releasing the fund for pension would not be required and the senior most secretary of P&RD will sanction the proposals. The pensioners of these schemes will receive a monthly pension by the 10th of every month.
Appreciating the initiative taken by the chief minister, the panchayat minister Ranjeet Kumar Dass expressed his gratitude to chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his cabinet colleagues for this significant decision.