Release funds for pension to persons with physical disabilities within 24 hours

GUWAHATI: The Protibondhi Suraksha Sanstha, Assam (PSSA) has set a 48-hour deadline for Dispur to release funds sought by the Social Welfare department for the payment of pension to persons with physical disabilities, failing which the Sanstha will stage a massive protest on August 15.

In a statement issued to the press on Tuesday, PSSA secretary Nripen Malakar said, "People with physical disabilities in the State have not been paid their monthly pension for the past four months due to negligence on the part of the State Finance department officials. During the corona pandemic the Divyangs of the State have been deprived of their pensions.

"Since March 2018 the BJP government has been paying Rs 1,000 per month as pension under the Deendayal Divyang Pension Scheme. However, the pension has not been paid for the past four months. On July 22, 2020 the Social Welfare department sent a proposal to the Finance department for the release of Rs 48.18 crore for the payment of pension to 1,60,612 physically challenged people. However, the Finance department is yet to release the fund, and as such the physically challenged have not been paid their pension for the past four months. We, therefore, set a 48-hour deadline for the Finance department to release the funds sought by the Social Welfare department, failing which we'll stage a massive protest on August 15."

According to government records, the State has 4.80 lakh Divyangs, and only 1,60,612 of them have been getting pension under the Deendayal Divyang Pension Scheme.

Meanwhile, the PSSA condemned the alleged rape of a visually-challenged woman by miscreants at Singimari in Abhoyapuri. The Sanstha has sought immediate arrest of the culprits.

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