Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 9: In a Public Interest Litigation filed by Viklang Chattra Trust, Division Bench of the State High Court comprising Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey and Justice Sindhu Sharma today directed Director Social Welfare Jammu and Kashmir to file updated status report indicating the grant of pension in favour of old aged, handicapped persons and widows by or before next date of hearing.
After hearing Senior Advocate Sunil Sethi with Advocate Parimoksh Seth for the PIL whereas Deputy AG Vishal Bharti for the State, DB observed, “reportedly more than 2,63,620 applications are pending with the Department of Social Welfare at different levels for grant of pension under the Old Age Pension Scheme and in the earlier status report filed by the respondents, it was averred that the delay in the disbursement of pension has occasioned because of the scrutiny of the record of the applicants”.
“In terms of order dated 8th of May, 2019, the State Counsel had sought and was granted time to conduct the verification of all the applications and disburse the benefit as per the schemes in favour of such applicants whose claims are found to be genuine”, the DB said, adding “today Vishal Bharti, Deputy Advocate General, has produced a photocopy of Government Order No. 154-SW of 2019 dated 8th of July, 2019, having reference to the decision of the State Administrative Council whereby Government in order to ensure transparency in the disbursement of pension benefits; to avoid delay in the delivery of benefits to the targeted groups; to ensure coverage of left out eligible beneficiaries; and in pursuance of the provisions of the Panchayati Raj Act, 2018 and the Jammu and Kashmir Aadhar (Targeted Delivery of Financial And Other Subsides, benefits and Services) Act, 2018, has directed Deputy Commissioners to ensure vigorous and detailed re-scrutinization of all the pending cases”.
“He has further stated that Deputy Commissioners have also been asked to ensure that all eligible cases duly supported by Aadhar numbers are forwarded to the respective Directorates of Social Welfare latest by July 31, 2019”, the DB further observed and directed Directorates of Social Welfare Department, Jammu/ Kashmir to ensure that subject to the provisions of the Panchayati Raj Act, 2018, the process of Aadhar Seeding and consequent de-duplication and weeding out of in-eligible cases of all approved cases is expedited and concluded by September 30, 2019.
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