Agitated over the alleged denial of pensions under the Aasara scheme, several aged persons, widows and physically challenged persons from Kothagudem division staged a protest near the Collectorate here on Monday seeking justice.
The protesters staged a demonstration at the Dharna Chowk here under the aegis of the CPI (ML-New Democracy) district committee to press for social security pensions. Several aggrieved villagers from Dharmapuram in Yellendu mandal gave vent to their resentment by participating in the dharna.
B Narsamma, an aged widow, of Dharmapuram bemoaned that her application for pension under Aasara scheme was rejected due to wrong entry of her details during a field survey by the staff concerned in her village.
Lakshmaiah, an aged person of the same village, alleged that his agricultural land holding was wrongly mentioned as 15 acres as against just one and a half acres of agricultural land in his possession.
Addressing the demonstrators, the CPI (ML-ND) district secretary P Ranga Rao alleged that several hapless aged and physically challenged persons besides widows were denied pensions under the Aasara scheme for no fault of theirs.
The wrong entry of agricultural land details in Pahani Nakal documents and other mistakes in survey by the field staff resulted in exclusion of the eligible persons from the social security pension cover in several villages in Kothagudem division, he charged. He demanded that the government ensure social security pensions to each and every eligible person.
Meanwhile, aggrieved aged persons including several women staged a demonstration in Kusumanchi on Monday demanding social security pensions.
BandhSangareddy Staff Reporter adds: A bandh was observed at Peddashankarampet protesting over reducing the number of beneficiaries alleging
that names of eligible were removed from the list. Protesters burnt the effigy of MLC Ramulu Naik, who has been representing from Narayankhed area in the district. Congress legislator P. Kishta Reddy visited the mandal headquarters and expressed his solidarity with the agitators. Protests were also held before Regod and Kalher mandal offices. Though the government is claiming that all the eligible would be extended aasara, the people fell that the government put cut of mark to fix the eligibility and hence the names of eligible persons were removed A protest was held at Pragnapur in which about 200 people participated in the agitation alleging that their names were removed from the list. TDP leader O. Pratap Reddy has extended his support to the agitators. Tension prevailed for some time at Jogipet on Monday as the beneficiaries took on war path as pensions were distributed for only one month instead of two months as promised by the government. According to sources, local legislator P. Babumohan involved and set the things strait by directing nagara panchayat commissioner to act properly by distributing two months of pension
