Welfare pension distribution likely to hit as govt fails to allocate funds

Thiruvananthapuram: The distribution of the Kerala government's welfare pension will be delayed further due to the lapses in sanctioning the required funds. Although the state finance minister had announced that the distribution would start on July 24,  the delay in issuing an order is likely to disrupt the disbursal.

An amount of Rs 900 crore is needed to distribute Rs 1,600 each to more than 60 lakh beneficiaries. Money will be distributed to the beneficiaries only after the government issues an order. Once the order is out, those who have provided their bank account numbers will receive the pension through their accounts, while others will have it delivered directly to their homes through cooperative societies. There is still no clarity on when the order will be issued.

It was in May 2023 that the pension distribution came to a halt due to a severe fund crunch in the state. In August, the government paid the pension for May and June ahead of Onam. Ahead of Christmas, the government distributed the pension arrear for the month of July. In April, the government distributed Rs 3,200 to the beneficiaries ahead of Vishu and Ramdan while settling arrears for September and October. The last payment of the welfare pension was made in June last week. A few days back, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declared that all dues of the welfare pension will be settled by next fiscal.