HC asks AAP govt, MCDs to give publicity to pension schemes

The Delhi High Court today asked the AAP government and the municipal corporations here to give publicity to pension schemes for aged and disabled people.
"The Delhi government as well as the MCDs should give more and more publicity so that the eligible beneficiaries of pension schemes get the benefit," Justice Manmohan said.
Expressing concern that despite there being over 1.65 lakh such beneficiaries only 13,000 are covered under the schemes, the court directed the authorities concerned to complete the verification process of such people in eight weeks.
It said that through pamphlets/brochures in each ward, the Delhi government and the corporations would request the beneficiaries to attend the camps along with the requisite documents.

It said that before next date of hearing on July 13, the aged people need to identified.
The court's directions came on a petition seeking contempt proceedings against the civic bodies here for not giving to the Delhi government a list of beneficiaries of pension schemes for aged and disabled people.

The plea has alleged that the government and civic bodies were "wilfully and deliberately disobeying and not complying with the court's order" passed on January 20 last year.
While disposing of the plea, a division bench of the high court on January 20 had directed all the three MCDs to furnish a list of the aged who were beneficiaries of pension under MCD schemes to the Delhi government within four weeks.

It had also directed the government to process the payment cases after receiving the lists and other particulars from the MCDs.
Advocate Ashok Aggarwal, appearing for NGO Social Jurist, submitted that the authorities have failed to do so resulting in continuous non-payment of stipend/pension amount of Rs 1000 per month to over two lakh destitute for the last three years.