Govt to cut 15,000 from social security pension list

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The finance department of the state government has excluded pensioners of certain welfare fund boards, all devaswom boards and the cooperative pension board from the social security pension scheme making around 15,000 persons ineligible for the payment.

The welfare fund boards excluded from the list are Kerala Pravasi Keraleeya Welfare Fund Board, Kerala Madrassa Teachers Welfare Fund Board, Kerala Advocates’ Clerks Welfare Fund Committee and the Kerala Document Writers’ Scribes’ and Stamp Vendors’ Welfare Fund Board.

Pensioners of these organisations were allowed to join the scheme as they provided pensions utilising their own funds. Now it has been stopped because the organisations are found to be getting financial assistance from the government.

Pensioners of the Travancore Devaswom Board, Cochin Devaswom Board, Malabar Devaswom Board, Guruvayoor Devaswom Board and the Koodalmanikyam Devaswom are also excluded from the list.  Also removed are beneficiaries of the Kerala Cooperative Employees Pension Board.  

The excluded employees will not get payment from October. The social security pension scheme currently has 50.67 lakh beneficiaries. The government spends `773 crore for their pension payment. Besides, there are around seven lakh welfare fund board pensioners. About `110 crore is required for their pension payment.