Kerala Finance Minister KN Venugopal. File Photo: Onmanorama
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal on Saturday said that the distribution of welfare pensions for June has begun, but will take time to complete as there are around 62 lakh beneficiaries.
Refuting allegations by KPCC president Sunny Joseph that the government had failed to disburse pensions, Balagopal termed the charges baseless and claimed they stemmed from ignorance of the distribution process.
He clarified that ₹825.71 crore was sanctioned on June 20 and transferred to the respective banks. A majority of beneficiaries received their pensions on Saturday itself, with the rest expected to get them in the coming days.
Explaining the process, the minister said beneficiary lists are finalised between the 1st and 15th of every month. After the list is verified, orders for fund allocation are issued based on the number of eligible recipients provided by the Panchayat Director.
About half of the pensioners receive funds directly into their bank accounts, while amounts meant for home delivery are routed through the District Cooperative Joint Registrar to the local cooperative banks. The cooperative bank secretaries then hand over the money to ward-level officers for distribution.
Balagopal also said funds for welfare boards have been transferred to the respective boards for disbursement.
Meanwhile, Sunny Joseph alleged that no beneficiaries had received pensions despite the minister’s assurance on June 16 that distribution would be completed by June 20. He claimed the government’s announcement was intended to sway voters in the Nilambur bypoll and accused the CPM of diverting funds to its party members under the guise of personal staff.
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