Sajad Lone flays government for creating hurdles in registration of old age pensioners

Benefits from the state is a matter of right and not a matter of charity

Srinagar: J&K Peoples Conference President Sajad Gani Lone on Friday expressed dismay over hardships faced by old age pensioners and other beneficiaries in re-registering themselves to avail the social welfare pension schemes.

Lone said that instead of making the process humiliating for the beneficiaries, the administration must find ways to deliver pension to them with dignity.

“The old age pension and the queuing up.
World found a Covid vaccine in a record time and our officers of social welfare can’t be creative enough to find a way out of delivering pensions without humiliation.
In the digital era you still want pensioners to queue up. Shame”, PC President said in a statement.

Lone maintained that the government has multiple avenues to verify the beneficiaries without inconveniencing them.

“What is the big deal. We know weed out is an issue. But in the age of Adhaar we can overcome it. Or simpler—there are govt employees in every village. Let them endorse or certify antecedents. There are sarpanches. Not being critical. You have the avenues. You need the passion to see them”, he added.

Lone further said that the benefits from the state is a matter of right and not a matter of charity and that the process of applying for benefits to delivery should be embedded with dignity.

“This is an age old practice. Make them line up, summon them to offices. Make them wait. Can’t the government come up with a new innovative method of identifying pensioners. I have also spent time as a social welfare minister. And our whole endeavour was to treat benefits from the state as a matter of right and not as a matter of charity. We felt that whole process of applying for benefits to delivery should be embedded with dignity”, he concluded.(KNS)