Pradeep Ramteke
Editor-in-Chief
What is the mystery behind the abrupt suspension of stipends—granted under the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana and the Shravan Bal Old Age Pension Scheme—for certain abandoned women, widows, persons with disabilities, the ailing, and the elderly across the state of Maharashtra? To this day, there remains no way to uncover the truth behind this process. However, the sudden suspension—for some beneficiaries—of the ₹1,500 monthly stipend provided under the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana and the Shravan Bal Old Age Pension Scheme is proving to be a life-threatening blow to abandoned women, widows, persons with disabilities, the infirm, and the elderly.
Since the stipends of beneficiaries under the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana and Shravan Bal Old Age Pension Scheme are being withheld without prior notice or explanation, their daily basic necessities are being severely compromised, and their lives appear to be teetering on the brink of ruin.
Who is suddenly cutting off the stipends of these needy and impoverished beneficiaries, and for what reason? As the relevant Tehsil office administration lacks a proper answer or valid justification for these actions, suspicions are mounting that responsible officials within the administration may be deliberately and maliciously halting the stipends of certain needy beneficiaries out of personal spite.
What is the rationale behind demanding an income certificate every year?
Under the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar and Shravan Bal Old Age Pension Schemes, requiring beneficiaries to submit an annual income certificate—certified by a competent authority such as a Tehsildar—amounts to casting doubt upon the beneficiaries’ integrity and making a mockery of their poverty.
Given that impoverished men and women are selected as beneficiaries under the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar and Shravan Bal Old Age Pension Schemes based on specific eligibility criteria, the beneficiaries pose a pertinent question to the government and administration: “From where, exactly, is our annual income expected to increase year after year?”
Indeed, under the aforementioned Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar and Shravan Bal Old Age Pension Schemes—and extending even to farmers—the annual income for many beneficiaries has effectively dropped to zero.
Farmers and Beneficiaries in Crisis…
Burdened by debt resulting from crop failure and natural calamities, both farmers and beneficiaries are struggling under immense pressure. When will the Government and Administration of Maharashtra finally acknowledge this reality? Due to the repetitive demands for various certificates, an atmosphere of intense resentment has arisen among the elderly, disabled, widowed, and destitute beneficiaries of the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana, the Shravanbal Yojana, and various other social security schemes—specifically directed toward the Central Government, the Government of Maharashtra, and the concerned administrative authorities within the state.
Do the Central Government, the State Government, and the relevant administrative bodies in Maharashtra not realize that these government schemes were initiated precisely to provide support to needy and economically vulnerable citizens? When poor and needy individuals have already been selected as beneficiaries based on established criteria, what is the justification for repeatedly demanding numerous other types of certificates? The Central Government, the State Government, and the concerned administration must publicly provide a detailed clarification regarding this matter.
What about the harassment and suppression faced by beneficiaries?
There have been numerous complaints alleging that Talathis (village revenue officers) and employees of the associated administrative machinery are not treating beneficiaries under the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar and Shravanbal Old Age Pension Schemes with courtesy.
Furthermore, eligible beneficiaries are being subjected to unnecessary harassment by Talathis and other concerned officials through a barrage of intrusive questions. Concurrently, beneficiaries are being humiliated in various ways.
Ashok Dnyaneshwar Chaudhary, the Deputy Sarpanch of Mauja Shankarpur Gram Panchayat in the Chimur Taluka of Chandrapur District, has expressed the view that, as a result of these issues, beneficiaries under the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar and Shravanbal Old Age Pension Schemes are being forced to endure immense hardship and administrative suppression.
Deputy Sarpanch Ashok Chaudhary stated that elderly, disabled, and widowed citizens—who are already grappling with financial difficulties—are being compelled to make repeated rounds of Talathi offices, Setu Kendras (citizen service centers), Gram Panchayat offices, and other government departments under the pretext of submitting various documents, such as Life Certificates, Aadhaar Cards, Bank Passbooks, Income Certificates, and other miscellaneous papers.
Many beneficiaries are extremely elderly, and for some, even the act of walking has become arduous. Under these circumstances, they are required to be transported to the offices using hired vehicles. [Due to] the rising… Due to the scorching heat and various physical ailments, these citizens are facing immense inconvenience, and the beneficiaries are truly enduring a harrowing ordeal.
Is the aim to generate employment for Setu Centers?
The meager stipend received from the government under both schemes has become the primary lifeline for the daily existence of many poor and destitute families. It is through these funds alone that expenses for medical treatment, food grains, and other essential necessities are met.
Consequently, by repeatedly demanding various unnecessary certificates every year, these beneficiaries are being subjected to recurring hardships—a process that effectively serves to generate employment opportunities for Setu Centers.
Beneficiaries have now begun to realize that the mindset of the government and administration—which appears to utilize the beneficiaries of the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana and Shravanbal Old Age Pension Scheme as a means to generate business for Setu Centers—is, from a humanitarian perspective, entirely unjustifiable.
Is the government and administration hatching a conspiratorial plot to deprive beneficiaries of these welfare schemes?
Beneficiaries are currently facing a severe financial crisis, with some families even teetering on the brink of starvation. Consequently, the beneficiaries are issuing an earnest appeal to the Central Government, the Government of Maharashtra, and the concerned administrative authorities to adopt a humanitarian approach and refrain from disqualifying them under the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana and the Shravanbal Old Age Pension Scheme.
It is imperative that the Government of Maharashtra personally intervenes to address a critical issue concerning the relevant agencies, which annually demand various types of certificates from beneficiaries enrolled under the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana and the Shravanbal Old Age Pension Scheme.
