In the first such instance in Jharkhand, pension applicants will now be given an acknowledgement receipts in West Singhbhum district.

The step has been taken by the West Singhbhum deputy commissioner Ananya Mittal after series of complaints surfaced over pension being delayed of applicants for years during the month-long Apke Adhikar, Apki Sarkar, Apke Dwar (government at your doorstep) campaign in December last year.

The deputy commissioner has also directed the block development officers and circle officers to complete verification of the documents of the pension applicants within 15 days and submit it to the district social security cell for further action.

“The acknowledgement receipt will not only help the applicants but also the district administration to track the status of their pension application and with the new time frame the block-level officials will have to complete verification of the application documents instead of delaying it. Earlier, in the absence of a time frame and acknowledgement receipts, there was delay on the part of the block-level officials on certain applications and the applicants used to apply on multiple occasions. It is an effort to streamline the process both for the applicants ensuring timely delivery of social security pensions and easing administration in tracking status of each application,” said Mittal.

Karam Singh Boipai waits for pension in the Sonua block. Bhola Prasad

Officials in the social security department said that West Singhbhum was the first district in the state to do so.

“It is a good initiative. We hope other district officials will follow suit,” said Jharkhand women, child development and social security minister Joba Manjhi.

“This is certainly a welcome step and would ensure that pensioners get their pension benefits in time without waiting for a long time. We had been suggesting the district administration for issuance of acknowledgement receipt to pension applicants. It can be a role model for other districts as similar cases of pending pension applications are prevalent in other districts too,” said Sandeep Pradhan, a Right to Food activist and a resident of West Singhbhum.

Activists claimed that on several occasions, pension applications used to be dumped in block offices and only lucky ones with influence used to get their application get the nod from the block offices.

Bilasi Nayakin, an elderly widow, waits for pension in Bandgaon block of West Singhbhum. Bhola Prasad

As per an announcement made by Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren during the state’s foundation day function on November 15 last year, the state became the first in the country to have a universal pension scheme for elderly, widowed and disabled.

As of now, in other states, pensions are provided to elderlies, widowed and physically challenged only if they fall below the poverty line (BPL) or belong to SC/ST. Social security pensions are also given to those having HIV/AIDS and falling under BPL category.

In Jharkhand, social security pensions are paid at the rate of Rs 1,000 per month, of which Rs 300 per month comes from the Centre under the National Social Assistance Programme and the rest from the state government.