Chennai Revenue Department Officials to launch drive to identify destitute elderly

Chennai, July 11: After the State announced amendments to the eligibility criteria for social security schemes last year, officials from the Revenue Department have been conducting campaign throughout the city to enumerate the elders who were destitute.

“We are regularly coordinating with the local tahsildar offices to ensure speedy registration,” said a senior official from the department according to a report by thehindu.com.

“It is an ongoing process. We are avoiding duplication and providing financial assistance to more people who are in need of it,” he said.

In April 2015, the Social Welfare and Nutritious Meal Programme Department issued an order where being “destitute” was the basic eligibility criterion under the scheme.

It was mentioned that they must be without any source of income, own fixed assets valuing less than Rs. 50,000, and should not be living with relatives aged over 20, including son, grandson, and spouse, unless the sanctioning authority is convinced that all of them come under the below poverty line category.

After the revised norms were announced, the officials have removed 16,409 beneficiaries from the scheme and included 4,719 new beneficiaries in Chennai.

“The beneficiaries dropped from the scheme include people who have died and those who have relocated permanently,” said the official.

There are 2,19,700 people getting pension under the social security scheme in Chennai. There are seven schemes, including the old age pension scheme, widow pension, disability pension, and pension for unmarried poor women.

However, activists said the revised criteria would not benefit the genuine beneficiaries and that there was a need for transparency in proceedings.

“The pension should have been revised keeping inflation in mind. Property worth Rs. 50,000 is almost nothing these days and there are also children who ill treat their parents. Pension in most cases provides them safety and this should be taken into account,” said K. Shanmugavelayutham, member of the Pension Parishad.