CUDDALORE:
After the government increased the old age pension amount to Rs.1,000 a month from Rs.500, there has been an overwhelming response to the scheme and it is discernible from the spate of applications received in the Chidambaram unit of the Social Welfare Department, according to C.D.Appavu, secretary, Consumer Guild of Tamil Nadu.
In a representation addressed to the Secretary of the Social Welfare Department, Mr. Appavu noted that though it was a welcome trend the officials ought to exercise caution in identifying the real target groups from among the flux of applicants. Certain claimants may not deserve to get the benefit and yet they might persist with their attempt to get the assistance through covert means. It would be a gigantic task for the officials to scrutinise each application. It was also learnt that middlemen had already cropped up to exploit the situation. Hence, to streamline the disbursement of old age pension, without leaving out the really deserving persons, the government ought to make public the eligibility criteria in simple terms so even the illiterate can understand them and stake their claim, Mr. Appavu added.
