Chandigarh,
\nPunjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has ordered immediate release of pending old age pensions, with strict instructions to regularise payment to the<\/p>\n
beneficiaries. The Chief Minister issued the directives during a meeting to review various schemes of the Department of Social Security and Women & Child<\/p>\n
Development here on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Expressing concern over the non-payment of old age pension in many places since April 2017, Captain Amarinder expressed the hope that the process of<\/p>\n
payment would be regularised by March, with directions to make December payment by January 31. Pointing out that the government was burdened by a Rs<\/p>\n
110 crore liability per month on account of pension arrears, the Chief Minister directed the Department to start releasing the arrears in a staggered manner.<\/p>\n
The Chief Minister also directed the Department to sort out the cases of absentee beneficiaries at the earliest, so that all eligible persons are included in the list,<\/p>\n
which now stands at 16,24,269, against the earlier 19,87,196. The meeting was informed that 93,521 cases (4.71%) had been found to be ineligible, while<\/p>\n
another 1,96,478 were absentee cases.<\/p>\n
The ineligible cases related to those who did not fulfill the eligibility criteria, an official spokesperson disclosed after the meeting. The meeting also discussed a<\/p>\n
proposal to implement the electronic benefit transfer scheme to ensure timely and smooth direct payment of pension to the beneficiaries, he added.<\/p>\n
In another decision, Captain Amarinder ordered to get latest specifications including colour for the free bicycles being distributed to girls, with no photograph of<\/p>\n
the Chief Minister, in contrast to the existing practice of having the CM\u2019s picture on these specially coloured blue and saffron bicycles.<\/p>\n
The issue of vacant Group A, B, C and D posts for the disabled in all government departments was also discussed, and the Chief Minister was apprised that<\/p>\n
287 of the 899 vacancies had so far been filled by the Department. Captain Amarinder has ordered the remaining vacancies to be filled by April 30.<\/p>\n
The progress of the Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyaan), launched by Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities<\/p>\n
(Divyangjan), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, GoI, was also discussed at the meeting. The campaign is aimed at achieving universal accessibility<\/p>\n
for Persons with Disabilities in Built environment, Transportation system and Information and communication system. Under Built environment accessibility, the<\/p>\n
city of Ludhiana has been selected, and 46 government public buildings have been identified to be made accessible to disabled persons. An estimate of Rs.<\/p>\n
15.50 crores has been prepared and submitted to the Government of India, which has sanctioned the grant but has sought detailed estimates, which are<\/p>\n
currently being prepared, the Chief Minister was informed.<\/p>\n
To implement the RPWD (Rights of Persons with Disability) Act, 2016, in letter and spirit, and to extend all benefits as per the provisions of this Act to all<\/p>\n
deserving\/needy disabled persons, this Department has proposed to set up an independent department of disability, at an annual expenditure of Rs. 3.5 crores.<\/p>\n
The case has been sent to the Finance Department.<\/p>\n
The Chief Minister was also updated on the work for the creation of various sports facilities, such as running tracks, cricket pitch, gymnasium etc, at the Blind<\/p>\n
School in Jamalpur, for which Rs 42 lakh has already been transferred. The department informed that land for the facilities had been earmarked and the<\/p>\n
process of planning was under way with the sports authority at district level.<\/p>\n
With regard to the UDID (Unique Disability ID) project initiated by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, the meeting was informed that a<\/p>\n
state level admin and district level admin had been created, including the Departments of Health, Revenue and Social Security. A state Coordinator has been<\/p>\n
appointed in this regard and the training of the admins is scheduled in the second week of February, after which the scheme will be launched in March.<\/p>\n
On the Supplementary Nutrition Programme for the Anganwadi Centres, the Department informed the meeting that a proposal for full implementation of this<\/p>\n
Centre:State scheme had been sent to the Finance Department.<\/p>\n
The meeting was also apprised about some of the new schemes being taken up by the department. Under the Mahila Shakti Kendra (funding pattern \u2013 60:40),<\/p>\n
two districts, Moga and Ferozpur, will be covered in the first phase, while the remaining will be covered in the next financial year. For Bachpan Bachao Andolan,<\/p>\n
the Department is coordinating with NGO, Bachpan Bachao Andolan Foundation of Noble Award winner Kailash Satayarthi, for making Punjab a model State for<\/p>\n
Children.<\/p>\n
As part of the 100% centrally sponsored One-Stop Centre scheme, in the first phase, six centres have been set up in Punjab (Bathinda, Jalandhar, Mukatsar,<\/p>\n
Patiala, SBS Nagar and Gurdaspur). In the second phase, eight new One Stop Centres have been sanctioned by GOI (Ferozpur, Fazilka, Sangrur, SAS Nagar,<\/p>\n
Roopnagar, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana and Amritsar), while the remaining will be covered in the next financial year 2018-19 by the Government of India, according to<\/p>\n
department officials.<\/p>\n
Prominent amongst others who attended the meeting included Social Security Minister Razia Sultana, Deputy Speaker Punjab Vidhan Sabha Ajaib Singh Bhatti,<\/p>\n
Media Advisor to CM Raveen Thukral, Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh, Special Chief Secretary KBS Sidhu, Principal Secretary to CM Tejveer Singh,<\/p>\n
Principal Secretary Finance Anirudh Tiwari and Director Social Security Kavita Mohan Singh.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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