By RABINARAYAN JENA, OP
Bhubaneswar: The long wait is finally over for elderly people and beneficiaries from other eligible categories who have been waiting for government allowances. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has fulfilled the assurance he had given on the occasion of the BJP government completing two years in the state.
The CM has approved the file for providing allowances to more than 5.12 lakh new beneficiaries, albeit after a delay. Following his approval, the concerned department has expedited the process. A dedicated portal for the purpose is expected to become operational shortly, after which the new beneficiaries will start receiving their allowances, a Cabinet minister said.
According to sources, the department has stepped up preparations for creating the beneficiaries’ database and making the portal operational following the chief minister’s approval. The government is also expected to announce a special date soon for the distribution of allowances to such a large number of beneficiaries.
CM Majhi is likely to distribute the allowances to the new beneficiaries at a special programme. Replying to a question in Assembly, Minister Gond had said that 5,14,267 applicants had so far applied online for the allowance.
As per the state government’s earlier announcement, the beneficiaries were scheduled to start receiving pensions from October. The minister had said that the applications would be verified on the basis of information received from the districts.
However, following the verification process, around 2,000 applicants are reportedly likely to be excluded from the list of beneficiaries.