Bhubaneswar: The Opposition BJD and Congress MLAs today demanded a social security pension of Rs 3,000 per month for all elderly, differently-abled individuals, widows, and destitute people in the State.
During a discussion on the admissibility of an adjournment motion on the issue, the BJD and Congress Legislators said that the BJP has promised to enhance the social security pension to Rs 3,500 per month for all the beneficiaries in their election manifesto.
However, after forming the Government, they are now saying Rs 3500 pension will be given for the elderly above 80 years and for the differently-abled with 80 percent disability.
The Opposition members staged a noisy walkout from the Assembly as the SPEPD Minister did not agree to their demand.
Participating in the debate, Congress Legislature Party (CLLP) Leader Ramachandra Kadam demanded that the Government fulfill its electoral promises and provide assistance to beneficiaries at par with the assistance given by Andhra Pradesh.
His party colleague, Ashok Kumar Das, questioned why people above the age of 80 were excluded from the social security scheme and alleged a lack of transparency in the assistance being provided to beneficiaries.
BJD Lawmaker Dibya Shankar Mishra urged the Government to study the National Social Security Code and seek more central assistance. He demanded that people above 60 years should be given a pension of Rs 3,000 per month and those above 80 should receive a pension of Rs 3,500 per month.
Similarly, Sarada Prasanna Jena (BJD) urged that the criteria for granting a Rs 3,500 monthly pension to differently-abled individuals should be relaxed from 80 percent disability to 40 percent disability.
BJP members Satrughana Jena, Jalen Nayak, and Om Prakash Mishra stated that during the BJD Government, social security assistance was distributed in a partisan manner, depriving many eligible beneficiaries of the schemes.
Kahnu Charan Dang from the Treasury Bench countered that the allegations made by the opposition were baseless and that the notice for discussion on the adjournment motion was made with an ulterior motive.
Currently, beneficiaries receive a pension ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,400 per month under various schemes like the National Old Age Pension, National Widow Pension, and National Disability Pension. Although these schemes are called the National Social Assistance Programme, the State Government provides around 80 percent of the funds.
Responding to the debate, Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) Minister Nityananda Gond said there was no truth to the opposition’s allegations. The Government is providing social security to eligible beneficiaries and would soon fulfill its promises, he said.
He added that in the last financial year, 8,13,813 new beneficiaries were included in social security schemes, and monthly assistance is being provided. In the current year, a budgetary allocation of Rs 5,269.39 crore under the Madhu Babu Pension Yojana (MBPY) and Rs 2,560.69 crore under the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) has been made, Gond said.
However, the BJD and Congress members, expressing their dissatisfaction with the Minister’s reply, staged a noisy walkout from the House.