Purpose of pension schemes defeated if paid after decades, says SHRC

Srinagar, Mar 15: State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) on Thursday directed the Jammu and Kashmir Social Welfare Department to submit the list of all pending widow-pension cases.
The department has till May 1 for filing the report.
Hearing a complaint filed by Hajira Begum, the SHRC observed that “a tragic picture of affairs is drawn from the report submitted by Tehsil Social Welfare Office Chadoora”.
“In a small Tehsil like Chadoora, 9,350 applications are pending and it appears that no fresh case has been sanctioned after 2009,” the SHRC order reads.
The orders state that the pension provided under different schemes to widows, old-age persons, the disabled, and other persons have to “wait for decades”.
“…if a person became entitled to pension in 2009 and pension is sanctioned in 2009, he/she would not get anything for the decade which was spent for obtaining sanction,” the order read.
“Number of applications, which are pending is near about 10,000 in one Tehsil. I would imagine the number in whole of the state of J&K must be in lakhs.”
“…if the pensions are paid after decades, the purpose of such schemes is defeated.”
The order also put light on the failure of the scheme that proposes to grant one-time relief payment of Rs 20,000 to a widow, which is to be given soon after the death of her husband.
“But even this amount is not being paid for decades.”
The SHRC has requested BB Vyas, J&K Chief Secretary, to look into the issue and obtain funds for the pending pension cases.
As per the official figures, 2.50 lakh cases are pending in the state including 1,53,699 cases under Integrated Social Security Scheme (ISSS) and 1,00,287 under National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP).