For the third consecutive Monday, senior citizens have been swarming the Collectorate in the city for submitting applications seeking old-age pension.
The weekly public grievances day meeting which resumed in the district on May 23 after the completion of Assembly elections has been attracting a good number of people seeking old-age pension.
In the last three meetings, more than 600 applications have been received by the authorities of Social Security Scheme (SSS) seeking old-age pension alone. The spurt in the applications is said to be following the rumours that the State Government proposed to hike the pension from the present Rs. 1,000 per month to Rs. 1,500 per month.
A total of 1,097 petitions containing various grievances of the people were received by the heads of government departments in the meetings held on May 23 (139 petitions), May 30 (412 petitions) and June 6 (546 petitions).
Of them, more than 600 petitions pertained to OAP alone, according to SSS official sources.
The district administration during last year, after verification of records, cancelled the orders of providing OAP to many senior citizens, as they were found ineligible for the same.
Now, those who were denied the pension in the last regime too are making a beeline to hand over application afresh.
When contacted, official sources confirmed that such rumours have come to their notice too.
But, they do not have any knowledge of any such move on the part of the government as of now.
