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Old age pension scheme: 90,000 beneficiaries found dead in survey, says Punjab minister
Social justice and welfare of children and women minister Dr Baljit Kaur on Thursday informed that 90,248 beneficiaries of the old age pension scheme in the state have been found to be dead in a survey done by the Aam Admi Party (AAP) government after taking over in March last year.
Social justice and welfare of children and women minister Dr Baljit Kaur on Thursday informed that 90,248 beneficiaries of the old age pension scheme in the state have been found to be dead in a survey done by the Aam Admi Party (AAP) government after taking over in March last year.
She said this in the state legislative assembly during zero-hour of the day’s proceedings, while answering a question from Shiromani Akali Dal’s Ganieve Majithia, who asked for a deadline for the fulfilment of AAP’s guarantee to increase the pension to ₹2,500, which at present ₹1,000 per month.
The minister informed that so far ₹23.94 crore have been recovered from the families who continued to get the benefit even after the death of the beneficiary. “On the contrary in the previous (Congress party) government, 70,000 beneficiaries were found ineligible and ₹162 crore was to be recovered but the government could only recover ₹1 crore,” she said, adding that pension would be increased after rectifying department functioning which was in a chaotic situation due to the working style of the previous government.
Treated sewage water for thermal plants
Punjab local bodies minister Inderbir Singh Nijjar on Thursday said that his government will conduct a feasibility study to find out how the thermal power plants in the state could use treated sewage water in the cooling towers.
He said this in the state legislative assembly during zero-hour of the day’s proceedings, while answering a question from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Vijay Singla, as according to him water from the sewerage treatment plant of Mansa city is very less due to which it overflows, asking to use the water in the cooling towers of the Talwandi Sabo thermal power plant.
On a question from Congress MLA and party’s state head finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that recoveries from different state taxes to the tune of ₹16,037 crore claimed under the one-time settlement scheme were pending and the government would pay the industrialists soon.
