In the second instalment of the Andhra Pradesh government’s door-delivery of social security pension scheme, nearly 59 lakh people across the state had their pension delivered through village volunteers on Sunday. The scheme, under the YSR Pension Kanuka program, was launched earlier on February 1, when nearly 54 lakh beneficiaries received pensions under the ‘Intivadhakey Pension' (Pension to your Doorstep) program.
According to an official statement, the problems faced during implementing the scheme in the previous leg were overcome this time, as “real-time data was made available” and special cells were established to monitor the process from the grass-roots level by ministers, MLAs, and Collectors, as well as Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The YSR Pension Kanuka scheme is one of the ‘Navaratnalu’ or nine promises made by the YSRCP as part of its election manifesto.
The initiative, which officials have claimed is a first of its kind in India, has been launched as part of the move towards decentralisation of administration. CM Jagan had earlier stated that the doorstep delivery mechanism is meant to avoid the involvement of middlemen, leaving out scope for corruption, or negligence in implementation. Officials have also claimed that the scheme allows for old and ailing senior citizens from remote areas to easily avail their pensions.
Village and ward volunteers carry devices with biometric information of beneficiaries, and upon verifying their details, the pension amount is transferred to their bank accounts.
The government has set aside Rs 15,675.20 crore for the current year towards the pension scheme. Of this, Rs 1,320.14 crore was paid for the month of February earlier on February 1.
The YSRCP government has increased the pension amount for the different categories of beneficiaries. An official statement said that nearly 80 lakh people are being covered as part of the programme, and the total amount of pensions being disbursed has risen from Rs 490 crore in 2019, to Rs 1,384 crore in 2020.