Family identity cards a weapon to cut pension of elderly: Hooda

CLP leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda says govt has cut pension of about 5 lakh elderly people, ration card of 10 lakh families

: Former Haryana chief minister and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda has accused the BJP-JJP government of turning the Parivar Pehchan Patra (PPP) into a weapon to cut the pension of the elderly and the ration card of the poor.

Family identity cards a weapon to cut pension of elderly: Hooda

“Without any information and investigation, the government is indiscriminately stopping pension and ration of the beneficiaries,” said Hooda, claiming that pension of about 5 lakh elderly people and ration cards of about 10 lakh poor families have been cut so far by showing random and baseless income in family identity cards.

In a statement, the CLP leader said the elderly and poor families are now visiting government offices without getting any relief despite serious errors in the family identity card.

“A person who has been working in Delhi police for 10 years has been put in the BPL list while names of poor widows have been removed from this list,” he said, adding that the income of street vendors and tea sellers has also been shown more than that of government employees.

Hooda alleged that the government filled the income column of the people in the family identity cards without any investigation and information.

Hooda said under the guise of PPP, not only pension and ration, but the poor are also being deprived of the benefits of all government welfare schemes, including the Ayushman scheme.

“These issues were also raised by the Congress in the assembly and we told the government with facts that how large-scale irregularities are taking place in the family and the property identity cards,” he said.

“The general public is facing the brunt of the government’s mistake, but the government keeps pretending to be ignorant despite knowing everything. Every section of the state is troubled because of the government’s performance and the impact of its policies,” he said.

Hooda reiterated that people will be freed from problems like PPP and property identity cards when the Congress government is formed. “Every eligible elderly will be given pension on the basis of self-declared income and yellow ration cards will be given to poor families,” he stated.

The Congress leader said portals and digitisation should be for the convenience of the public and not to disturb them and deprive them of benefits under government schemes.