Minister Srinivas Asserts No One Eligible Will Be Denied Pensions

VIJAYAWADA: MSME minister Kondapalli Srinivas refuted what he called misinformation being spread about revising of the disability pensions’ list. He maintained that though the list has been revised, 20,000 of those found ineligible for pensions to disabled have been extended pensions under other schemes, such as old-age and widow pensions.

Speaking to reporters at the secretariat in Velagapudi of Amaravati on Friday, the minister asserted that there is absolutely no question of denying pensions to those eligible under the state government’s various social security schemes. He dismissed the opposition’s campaign in this regard as propaganda and false alarms. He urged people not to fall prey to such propaganda.

Srinivas admitted that several ineligible persons had managed to obtain pensions during the previous regime, particularly under the health and disability categories. District collectors, especially from Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema and YSR Kadapa, had reported misuse of the scheme at the ground level.

The minister maintained that to curb irregularities, the NDA coalition government launched a state-wide reverification of pension eligibility certificates nine months ago. In case of bedridden people, doctors conducted inspections at their homes. He disclosed that out of the 7.95 lakh certificates to be re‑verified, 5.55 lakh have already been scrutinised.

“This process has so far identified around 80,000 ineligible pensioners. However, instead of blanket cancellations, the government has considered their eligibility under other categories. Nearly 20,000 of them have instead been given old-age pensions,” he pointed out.

Quoting Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu’s directive, Srinivas clarified that those holding temporary disability certificates issued before 2016 will continue to receive disability pensions if their disability exceeds 40 percent.