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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Access Denied by Chandrani Banerjee

Access Denied by Chandrani Banerjee

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published Published on Jul 19, 2010   modified Modified on Jul 19, 2010


The only programme the UPA government has to provide pensions to BPL individuals is plagued by mismanagement, delays in disbursement and underutilised funds. The National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), allocated Rs 5,700 crore every year, covers five major schemes—the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS), the Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS), the Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme, the National Family Benefit Scheme and the Annapurna scheme in which BPL families without breadwinners get wheat and rice.

The nodal agency to implement these is the Union rural development ministry that provides financial assistance to the states and reviews implementation. “The programme has a disbursement issue,” rural development minister C.P. Joshi told Outlook, “but the central government can only release funds. The states have a larger role to play. They are supposed to utilise the funds and ensure a smooth execution of the programme. The lukewarm response on their part has resulted in a dismal show. We can only advise the state governments and ensure reviews result in corrective measures.”

Figures show that some states did not spend even half the allocated amount in 2008-09. In the current financial year, funds have been allocated to the states in the first instalment. The rural development ministry claims that the states are reluctant to apply for the second instalment and the ministry too cannot release the funds unless the first instalment has been properly utilised.

Identification of beneficiaries is another problem area. Those covered by IGNOAPS are the worst-hit. Most of them are old and do not possess any identity card. Under IGNOAPS, the central government gives Rs 200 per month per beneficiary as old age pension while the state government contributes another Rs 200. The money is disbursed through the post office or a bank account. But in villages which are remote and the bank and post office are far away, there is no identification system that allows the beneficiary to access the money. The pensioner has to withdraw the money in person. In many cases, the pensioner may be bed-ridden and cannot draw the money. Similarly, under IGNWPS, a beneficiary is eligible only if she’s 40 years old. A widow below that age is not eligible even if she has no other means of earning a living.

The IGNDPS, meant for the physically challenged, also excludes many because of the eligibility norm of 80 per cent disability. Implemented through panchayats and municipalities, it has no proper auditing system. “Village panchayats are doing reviews and conducting checks in rural areas, but in urban areas there is favouritism,” says Neelam Sawhney, joint secretary in charge of NSAP in the rural development ministry. “We have received complaints but the implementation is not with the ministry. We have reworked the existing norms and they will soon be put in place.”

“The biggest block are the rules. There is a condition that the beneficiary has to have an account in the bank with a balance of Rs 2,000-5,000,” says Dr Moneer Alam of the Institute of Economic Development and member of the working group of the Planning Commission that advises the government on social protection policy. Another hurdle is the lack of a proper monitoring system. Review meetings provide only rudimentary monitoring. The NSAP has no provision for social audits.


Outlook India, July, 2010, http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?266268


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