Imphal, March 25 2010: Inflating the number of beneficiaries under the National Old Age Pension Scheme of the Government of India has led to a situation in Manipur where the amount of the Old Age Pension could be paid only for 10 months to the beneficiaries and depriving the benefit for the remaining two months every year.

According to reliable sources from the State Social Welfare Department, a sum of Rs 200 is supposed to be given every month as pension under the National Old Age Pension Scheme to the selected beneficiaries who are above 65 years of age.

In Manipur, there are at present 72514 such beneficiaries.

Though the scheme envisaged to cover ultimately 1.13 lakh elderly persons who are above 65 years of age in Manipur, the Social Welfare Department had included the number of beneficiaries in Manipur in excess at 72514 without the approval of the Government of India, the source said.

The source, however, declined to comment on the exact number of beneficiaries that should be selected in a fiscal year or on the excess number included in the present roll.

Consequent to blowing up the number of beneficiaries, the fund provided by the Government of India has not been sufficient enough to meet the pension amount of the beneficiaries for one year.

So the Department has been able to extend the pension benefit for only 10 months in a year.

Disclosing that the Department has been suffering financial decrement of around Rs 2,90,05,600 every year in paying pension to these 72541 beneficiaries, the source explained that the pension amount for the remaining two months is being taken care from the fund of the following fiscal year.

The current payment mode would continue for the next two years and during this period no new beneficiaries would be selected to replace those who have passed away so as to stabilise the number of beneficiaries included in excess, the source further disclosed.

It is said that the including a pending sum of Rs 50 pension for the month of October, the pension amount to the 72514 beneficiaries have been disbursed for upto September of the last fiscal year and there is no fund at the disposal of the Department to clear the backlog pension of the remaining months even though the current financial year is due to over.

Nonetheless, proposal had already been send to the Finance Department to clear the backlog pension, the source said.

The break-up of 72514 beneficiaries under the National Old Age Pension Scheme in Manipur is 14645 in Imphal West, 12251 in Imphal East, 11395 in Thoubal, 6772 in Bishnupur, 7057 in Churachandpur, 3396 in Tamenglong, 3174 in Chandel, 4297 in Ukhrul, 5398 in Senapati and 4129 in Saitu-Gamphajol.

On the other hand, it is said that the amount of Rs 100 which is being given under the Manipur Old Age Pension Scheme is likely to be increased to Rs 200 from April this year.

In the Working Group meeting of the Planning Commission which was recently held at New Delhi to finalise the plan size of Manipur, the Social Welfare Department had proposed for increasing the pension amount under the Manipur Old Age Pension Scheme at part with National Old Age Pension Scheme.

The Working Group meeting had also given its approval to the proposal and the Social Welfare Department would be taking up the matter with the Government of Manipur soon.

The number of beneficiaries under the Manipur Old Age Pension Scheme which are receiving Rs 100 per month at present is 26,907 and the Social Welfare Department has been spending around Rs 32,28,840 every year in paying pension to these beneficiaries.

The pension amount of the 26907 beneficiaries had been cleared upto November last year and the clearance for another three months in respect to Imphal East, Imphal West and Thoubal had been sanctioned, the source added.

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