Bhubaneswar: In a major relief to thousands of people awaiting social security assistance, the state government has included 5,324 new beneficiaries from the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) area under the Madhu Babu Pension Yojana (MBPY), taking the total number of beneficiaries in the city to 27,112.
Earlier, 21,788 people in the BMC area were receiving pension benefits under the scheme. The latest inclusion comes as a relief to eligible applicants who had reportedly been waiting for nearly two years for financial assistance.
Among the newly selected beneficiaries, 3,229 are senior citizens aged 60 years and above, including 33 aged 80 years or more. The list also comprises 1,378 widows, 91 persons with disabilities of 80 per cent or above, 153 with disabilities between 60 and 79 per cent and 235 with disabilities ranging from 40 to 59 per cent.
Besides, 122 unmarried wom en, 81 destitute and divorced women and two transgender persons have been brought under the scheme. Beneficiaries will receive monthly pensions ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,500, depending on their eligibility. Senior citizens aged 80 years and above and persons with disabilities of 80 per cent or more will get Rs 3,500, while those with 60-79 per cent disability will receive Rs 1,200.
Other eligible categories will get Rs 1,000 per month. Meanwhile, the government has introduced the Unifi ed Pension Management Portal (UPMP) to streamline applications, verification, beneficiary selection and disbursement.
Under the new system, eligible applicants are expected to receive pension benefits within a month of submitting their applications, reducing delays and ensuring transparency. At a pension distribution programme here Saturday, Works, Law and Excise Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan, Ekamra-Bhubaneswar MLA Babu Singh and Mayor Sulochana Das distributed pension assistance and cards.
One beneficiary from each ward received the assistance as part of the programme. BMC Commissioner Chan chal Rana, Deputy Mayor Man julata Kanhar and other officials and corporators attended the event. Beneficiaries welcomed the move, expressing relief that their long wait for financial support had finally ended.