Apathy virus eats into state govt projects

The crucial link in the entire exercise-doctors,who certify the age of a person receiving pension under the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme-have,however,become a difficult lot to handle,according to sources at the District Collectorate.

“Ascertaining the age is an important aspect in the whole project,and most people who fall in the category do not have birth certificates. It is the doctors’ panel that certifies the age of a person. But they are not very keen on the project. As a result,we have been forced to send formal communication to the Regional Deputy Director informing him that the doctors must not shy away from their responsibility,” said a senior official at the District Collectorate.

The panel of doctor ascertains the age of the beneficiary with the help of the age of his/her children and grandchildren and other widely accepted parameters. “If we begin with some form of scientific examination to ascertain the age,it would take us years to complete the project,” said a doctor refusing to be named.

The official admitted that looking at the meagre financial benefit of Rs 200 to the aged people,many doctors on the panel find it ‘too time consuming an exercise’.

“After we saw that lethargy on their part was hampering our campaign,we wrote to the top officials to instruct the doctors to carry out the age certification process to achieve the target on time,” said a District Collectorate official.

In the urban areas where the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) is supposed to carry out the task to find out beneficiaries,problems are expected to crop up,said VMC officials.

“We are simply following the tally of the Below Poverty Line people that had been prepared in 2002. So far,we have been able to identify nearly 1,600 people who would receive the pension. But the fact remains that the number should be much higher than what we have. We are expecting many people to approach us after the drive gets over,who will have to get the certificate from the Jamnabai Hospital. We will then forward the case to the District Collectorate,” said R M Patel,Assistant Commissioner,VMC.