With no cash in lower denomination available for disbursal and with the reported decision to credit welfare pensions in bank accounts it is a tough month ahead for the beneficiaries and will be worse to those without bank accounts.
It is the practice to disburse welfare pensions at the respective ward offices in cash every month in the first week. A total of 80,000 pensions amounting to Rs. 8.3 crore are given every month in GVMC including Anakapalle and Bheemunipatnam.
The pensions are given to the aged, widows and differently-abled. The pension is Rs.1,000 for most of them and only for those with 80 per cent disability it is Rs. 1500.
"This time since there is no cash in Rs.500 and Rs.1000 denominations it is difficult to disburse pensions in cash," sources said. Also 80 per cent of the cash available now is said to be in Rs.2000 denomination and it is difficult to say how many can withdraw Rs.2000 because of low account balance. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu mooted the idea of giving Rs. 300 as first instalment through business correspondents.
"Since there is no cash to distribute in lower denominations, the pension amount will be credited to their accounts online so that they can withdraw subsequently," GVMC Urban Community Project Director D. Srinivasan told The Hindu .
Of the 80,000 pension holders 14,000 have no bank accounts ruling out the option of crediting the cash into their accounts. Also right now details of how many of the beneficiaries have RuPay or ATM cards is not clear. The details are being gathered, it was learnt.
An exercise to open bank accounts for them is being taken up now. From Tuesday a staff member of the corporation or active SHG member is being positioned at pension disbursement centres to act as facilitators, he said.
