Maya’s pension plan for poor may take effect only in November

The scheme was announced by Chief Minister Mayawati on her birthday on January 15. It was to be launched in April and the government ordered all districts to complete their survey of determining the beneficiaries by June 30.

In a recent review meeting,it was found that though the deadline was over,a large number of districts are yet to complete their surveys and the online compilation of data.

Official from Aurriaya,where 78 per cent of the gram panchayats have been covered,said: “It is mandatory that all entries should be compiled online alongwith the physical survey,which is making the process time consuming. Yet we are trying to cover all gram panchayats within this month.”

Following the delay in the first step,the state government has extended the deadline for survey and compilation to July 31. The Principal Secretary (social welfare) Balvinder Kumar,said: “We have extended the deadline. In August,the districts will be inviting objections and creating the final list of beneficiaries.”

The panchayat elections,slated for September,may further slow the scheme.

A state government official said: “The lists will be cleared only by mid-September and the government will then decide on how many people will benefit in the first lot. That process will take another month and we are expecting that in November,the first installment of money may be distributed.”

The Mukhyamantri Gareeb Aarthik Madad Yojna is for those below the poverty line who are not receiving any pension from the government. The scheme provides a monthly pension of Rs 300,which will be paid to the beneficiary twice a year. While in all schemes targetting the BPL people have made the BPL card mandatory,norms in this scheme were relaxed. All one needs is an income certificate from the tehsildar. But this,the officials say,is causing some problem.

A district official in Jaunpur,where only 63 per cent of the gram panchayats have been covered so far,said: “It is not easy to determine the beneficiaries. In some villages,we received complaints about fake income certificates and the surveys had to be undertaken again.”

A survey will be done of each village through open gram sabha meetings and those living below the poverty line are to be included in the list. The list will be made public both through physical presentation and publishing it online,for inviting any objections and including those left out. The final list will be sent to the state Department of Social Welfare.