KOCHI: District Collector P I Sheik Pareeth on Tuesday ordered sanction of ‘Ashwas Kiran’ pension, given to the dependents of the ailing, through the Social Welfare Department.This follows the ‘Express’ report that as many as 15 complaints on ‘Ashwas Kiran’ pensions had gone missing from the Local Self- Government Department (LSGD), raising many an eyebrow.The petitions were forwarded by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy himself in the recently-conducted Mass Contact Programme. District Collector P I Sheik Pareeth promised that proper measures will be taken in a week.“Though the LSGD had received the complaints, initially they kept mum. But when we carried out an internal probe we found 15 complaints on pensions under ‘Ashwas Kiran’ scheme with them. It was later forwarded to the Social Welfare Department to take immediate action,” the Collector said.Based on the instructions from the District Collector, the Social Welfare Department has forwarded the petitions to the Social Security Mission in Thiruvananthapuram, said C Sundari, District Social Welfare office.“Though Social Welfare Department is the implementing agency of such pensions, the procedures have to be worked out by the Social Security Mission. The procedures are going on in full swing. We hope that we could settle the issue pertaining to pensions within the stipulated time,” she said.P A Antony, who was a beneficiary of this scheme was elated by the news that he would soon receive Ashwas Kiran pension.“I was bedridden for the past 12 years. Though I was told that my wife would get Ashwas Kiran pension after the Mass Contact Programme, there was no response. I have contacted the Deputy Directorate of Panchayat several times, but could not get a favourable response. Though the amount of pension is a minimal `300, it will definitely ease our burden,” he said.The departments of Social Welfare and Local Self Government had earlier passed the buck by saying that this particular pension scheme did not come under their purview.The Chief Minister had asked the District Collector to submit a detailed report in the review meeting of the Mass Contact Programme as the LSGD did not budge from its stance that they did not get anything more than five petitions on pensions.But the Chief Minister refuted their argument and asked the Collector to prepare a list of missing applications, which he himself had forwarded to the authorities.The district administration conducted an internal probe and found out that the LSGD had received 15 petitions pending on ‘Ashraya Kiran’ scheme; of which, the Deputy Directorate of Panchayat (DDP) received eight, Thrikkakara municipality three, the Corporation and Aluva, Perumbavoor and Maradu municipalities one each.
Comments
0 comment