Hold camps to verify old age pension beneficiaries: HC to MCD

Municipal corporations in the city have been directed by Delhi High Court to organise ward-wise camps to verify beneficiaries of pension schemes for aged and disabled to ensure that financial assistance reaches only those eligible.
Justice Manmohan directed the corporations to organise the camps on or before January 10 next year and asked them to publicise it through pamphlets and brochures in each ward.
While publicising the camps, the three MCDs should ask the beneficiaries to bring all requisite documents like Aadhaar card, bank passbooks, residence and age proof.
"Only eligible cases in accordance with the old age assistance scheme and financial assistance to persons with special needs would be taken over by the Delhi government from the MCD," it said.

The direction came on a contempt plea by NGO Social Jurist alleging non-compliance of the court's January 20 order to the corporations to provide the Delhi government with the list of names and other details of persons who are not receiving funds under the schemes so that they may meet the eligibility criteria for official schemes.
The January 20 order had come after the corporations said they were unable to pay pensions to the beneficiaries under their schemes, while the Delhi government had said it was running two schemes for elderly and disabled persons who were also economically weak.
The submissions had come in response to a PIL by the NGO, through advocate Ashok Aggarwal, alleging that the MCDs had stopped paying pension under their old-age, widow and disabled persons pension and stipend scheme.