Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Wednesday opposed and criticized Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan who appealed to Odisha government to continue with the social security pension system through DBT instead of cash payment.
Taking to twitter, BJD spokesperson and MP Sasmit Patra stated that Pradhan’s stand on the matter is really doing injustice to lakhs of beneficiaries. Patra further mentioned that pension through cash will reduce the burden of many elderly people and Divyangs who had to travel miles to withdraw their money.
As there is lack of banking facilities in rural areas, beneficiaries have to cover a long distance and spend Rs 200 to 300 to withdraw their pension money.
“Pradhan is unaware about the ground realities and problems faced by them due to lack of banking facilities. They have to travel 20-30 kms and spend Rs. 200 to 300 to withdraw pensions amounting to Rs.500 from Banks. Providing it in cash, in fact will reduce their burden of travelling long distance,” Patra tweeted.
The BJD MP lambasted Pradhan that he is doing injustice to the lakhs of widows, differently abled and old age persons by making such stand and harassing them.
Patra further stated that the Union Minister will suffer for his move and be forced to withdraw his opinion.
Earlier in the day, Pradhan wrote to Odisha CM Naveen Patanaik , urging him to reconsider the decision to hand over cash as pension to senior citizens, widows and disabled persons.
Pradhan alleged that there have many instances of beneficiaries being exploited in the past due to corruption and manipulation by middlemen through cash payments and said the Odisha government’s decision to give cash to beneficiaries will “encourage corruption and malpractice” in the state.
“Keeping in view our commitment to maintaining transparency and rooting out corruption, I urge you to continue the DBT mechanism for payment of pension to old age, widows and divyangians in Odisha and review the decision of cash payment,” Pradhan, the Union Education minister said in a letter to Patnaik.
The senior BJP leader’s opposition to the cash distribution to old age beneficiaries came after the state government’s Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) department asked all district collectors and commissioners of municipal corporations that the beneficiaries of the Madhu Babu Pension Yojana (MBPY) will receive pension in cash from June onwards.
The state government’s decision in this regard was taken after being criticized for “failing” to ensure pension payment through direct benefit transfer (DBT) to beneficiaries. The Odisha government has decided to return to the old method of cash disbursement.
He also claimed that due to the DBT system, fake and bogus beneficiaries have been eliminated and the need for intermediaries has been eliminated.
Pradhan claimed that due to the elimination of ghost/duplicate beneficiaries by the adoption of DBT, the Odisha government has made an estimated saving of Rs 459,96 crore in the 2021-22 fiscal and the central government has also saved approximately Rs 2.73 lakh crore cumulative till the close of 2021-22 due to adoption of DBT.
