By SUNIT MISHRA, OP
Bhubaneswar: The BJP has said that social security and empowerment of persons with disabilities are sensitive issues and should not be politicised. The party maintained that the state government is committed to making welfare schemes inclusive, accessible and focused on the upliftment of the most vulnerable sections of society.
BJP MLA Santosh Khatua said the previous BJD government had treated the Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) department as a political tool instead of using it for the welfare of marginalised and disadvantaged people.
He asserted that the BJP government was committed to ensuring that pension benefits reached every eligible beneficiary. Addressing a press conference at the BJP state headquarters here Wednesday, Khatua said the state government had taken a historic step by providing pensions to five lakh beneficiaries who had been on the waiting list.
The number of beneficiaries receiving pensions under the Madhu Babu Pension Scheme and the National Social Assistance Programme has increased from 56 lakh to 61 lakh, he said. He alleged that opposition parties were unable to accept the expansion of the pension coverage. Comparing pension expenditure under the two governments, Khatua said the BJD government had spent Rs 16,460 crore between 2019 and 2024.
In contrast, the present BJP government had disbursed Rs 20,655 crore within the first two-and-a-half years of coming to power. He further said the government would spend another Rs 22,167 crore on pensions over the next two-and-a-half years.
Thus, the total pension expenditure by the BJP government during the 2024-2029 period would reach Rs 42,822 crore, more than two-and-a-half times the amount spent by the previous government, Khatua claimed.
He reiterated that the BJP government remained committed to expanding pension coverage and ensuring that welfare benefits reached all eligible sections of society.