Kerala govt to settle welfare pension for two more months in December

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government is making strenuous efforts to disburse the welfare pension arrears for two more months before the conclusion of the Nava Kerala Sadas programme led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his cabinet.

According to reports, Nava Kerala Sadas received a large number of complaints related to the non-receipt of welfare pensions. In view of this, the finance department is contemplating the disbursal of pension for two more months, amounting to Rs 3,200.

While the government successfully cleared July’s pension dues last week, there are grievances that many pensioners who completed mustering have yet to receive their pensions. Finance department sources say that the issue will be addressed if the aggrieved persons submit complaints.

The government requires Rs 1,500 crore to disburse pension arrears for August and September. Once this is settled, the pensions for October and November should be settled.

Meanwhile, the government has decided to publish the details of the fund received from the central government in a bid to refute the claim of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman. The union minister had argued that the centre provides its share of the pension to Kerala promptly. Pamphlets will be published as part of this effort.

Government sources reveal that while the state provides a monthly pension of Rs 1,600, the centre's share for five types of pensions ranges from Rs 200 to Rs 500. The state grants welfare pensions to half a crore people while the centre's share benefits only 5 lakh individuals, the sources said.