Doorstep pension delivery stop decision sparks political storm in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram Aug 7 (IANS) The Kerala government’s decision to end doorstep distribution of social welfare pensions through cooperative societies and route payments into beneficiaries’ Aadhaar linked bank accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) has triggered a fierce political confrontation, with the opposition Left accusing it of dismantling one of the state’s flagship welfare schemes, while the ruling dispensation defended the move as a step towards greater transparency.

Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan launched a sharp attack on the V.D. Satheesan-led government, demanding the immediate withdrawal of the order.

In a Facebook post, he alleged that discontinuing doorstep pension delivery for all except bedridden beneficiaries would hit the poorest sections, particularly elderly citizens, persons with disabilities, and others outside the formal banking network.

Describing the move as the first step towards weakening the pension scheme itself, Vijayan argued that the government was using Central guidelines on DBT as a pretext despite Kerala bearing the overwhelming share of the welfare burden.

According to him, nearly 86 per cent of the pension expenditure is funded by the state, while the Centre contributes barely one per cent of the monthly outgo.

The government and UDF leaders, however, rejected the criticism, maintaining that direct transfer to bank accounts would eliminate middlemen, improve transparency, and prevent large-scale fraud in pension distribution.

UDF leader B.R.M. Sherif said the new system would ensure that beneficiaries receive money directly into their accounts instead of depending on intermediaries who projected pension delivery as an act of generosity.

He also accused CPI-M functionaries of exploiting the cooperative distribution network for financial irregularities.

The ruling front cited recent fraud cases to defend the policy.

In Karimpuzha in Palakkad district, a CPI-M local committee member and former DYFI office-bearer was accused of drawing pension in the name of a deceased beneficiary using forged documents.

In another case, a CPI-M local committee member functioning as a rural bank collection agent in Thalassery was arrested for allegedly misappropriating nearly Rs 6 lakh meant for welfare pension beneficiaries.

The controversy has spilled onto social media, where supporters of the government point out that nearly 39 lakh of Kerala’s 62 lakh pension beneficiaries are already receiving payments through DBT without difficulty.

They argue that the latest order merely extends an existing system that has functioned successfully for a majority of pensioners.

The LDF, however, insists that thousands of elderly and vulnerable beneficiaries still depend on doorstep delivery and may struggle to access banking services.

With both fronts digging in, the pension distribution issue is rapidly emerging as another political flashpoint between the newly elected UDF government and the Opposition, setting the stage for an intense battle over welfare, transparency, and the future of Kerala’s social security network.

–IANS

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