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SSEPD secretary R S Gopalan, who is also serving as the chief electoral officer, has now told district collectors to ask applicants to produce their previous voter ID card to assess whether their age is genuine or if it has been changed to avail social benefits.
Against the backdrop of the BJP government in Odisha hiking the social security pension to Rs 3,500 for those aged above 80, there has been an “unusual increase” in the number of applicants producing a voter ID card – with the date of birth changed recently – as a supporting document, The Indian Express has learnt.
Officials in the Department of Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) said voter ID is among the documents required to be enrolled under the state’s pension schemes.
SSEPD secretary R S Gopalan, who is also serving as the chief electoral officer, has now told district collectors to ask applicants to produce their previous voter ID card to assess whether their age is genuine or if it has been changed to avail social benefits.
“With a substantial number of applicants applying for social security pension, we found in several cases that the applicants have produced voter ID cards in which their date of birth was changed recently. Hence, we have asked authorities to match it with their previous voter ID cards. The exercise is to prevent the disbursement of social security pension to ineligible beneficiaries,” Gopalan told The Indian Express.
Nearly 56 lakh people above the age of 60 get the social security pension in Odisha either under the National Social Assistance Programme or the state’s own Madhu Babu Pension Yojana.
While the amount was Rs 1,000 per month for those above 60 and Rs 1,200 for those above 80, the BJP promised to hike it to Rs 3,500 per month in its election manifesto. The BJD, while in power, used the social security scheme to nurture a loyal support base among pensioners.
After assuming power, the BJP government hiked the amount to Rs 3,500, but only for those above 80 years of age, as well as for individuals with 80% disability. With this age criterion, only 3 lakh of the total 56 lakh beneficiaries receive Rs 3,500.
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On Friday, Odisha’s SSEPD minister Nityananda Gond said action will be taken against those found guilty of availing an enhanced amount of social security pension by manipulating their age in voter ID cards. The state spends over Rs 7,500 crore annually to disburse monthly social security pension to beneficiaries.
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