Odisha government’s decision to disburse monthly social security pension to beneficiaries of Madhu Babu Pension Yojana (MBPY) in cash has not gone down well with Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan who hails from the state.

Reacting to the state’s decision which was prompted by the difficulties pensioners in the rural areas had been facing in collecting their money from banks, Pradhan urged chief minister Naveen Patnaik to continue with the direct benefit transfer (DBT) mode of making payment.

“I write to you today, expressing my worry, and more importantly, the distress of the citizens of Odisha, regarding the recent decision of the Odisha government to shift the social security pension for old age and divyangjans to cash, rather than maintaining the existing Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) strategy. This decision, unfortunately, appears to be a step backwards in our collective pursuit of corruption-free governance and efficient public service delivery,” he wrote in a letter to the chief minister.

“Under the NSAP (National Social Assistance Programme), 2.99 crore beneficiaries, especially old and disabled, are getting monthly pension via bank accounts. In Odisha, too, 20,95,695 beneficiaries are getting social security benefits through the DBT mechanism,” Pradhan said.

Pradhan also cited how under the Jan Dhan Yojana, a whooping 48.99 crore bank accounts have been opened. He argued that DBT has helped in plugging leakage and diversions and has done away with corruption to a great extent.

“Due to the elimination of ghost/duplicated beneficiaries by the adoption of DBT, the government of Odisha has made an estimated saving of Rs 459.96 crore in FY 2021-22. Needless to mention the government of India has saved approx Rs 2.73 lakh crore cumulative till the close of FY 2021-22 due to the adoption of DBT,” he said.

“These figures elucidate how the DBT strategy has been instrumental in alleviating poverty, empowering citizens, and improving service delivery, directly benefiting crores of Indians, especially our brethren in Odisha. Considering such a substantial impact, it is disconcerting to witness the Odisha government’s decision to return to cash payments for old age pensions,” wrote the Union minister.

On May 21, the state government decided to do away with DBT in social security pensions following reports from different districts about the plight of elderly people receiving their monthly pensions.