Dejected over inordinate delay in disbursement of Aasra Pensions and to demand approval of applications pending since 2019 under the scheme, the disabled people under the banner of Telangana Disabled Welfare Society (TDWS) has planned a protest at Dharna Chowk, Indra Park on 31st August to raise the issue.
“There are atleast two lakh applications of Aasra pensions pending since 2019 in the state and the government seek new application from the eligible persons cutting down the age limit under the scheme while already existing beneficiary are not getting the pensions on time,” rued Syed Afroz, President Telangana Disabled Welfare Society (TDWS).
“We were left with no other option but to hold a protest to bring the plight of the disabled to government’s notice more assertively,” he said adding that “As long as our issues remain unsolved, we will continue to hit the roads with voices raised against the injustice.”
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“Despite several reminders, the authorities are not at all paying heed to the woes and misery of the disabled people in the state. All the time we went to bring our issue to the government’s notice, we found ourselves barking up the wrong tree. Throwing all the promises made to the disabled people at the time of elections into the air, the government has now turned a complete blind eye towards our issues. This has forced us to raise the voice against the injustice,” bemoaned G.Yadgiri, Vice President of the society.
“The only benefit the disabled are getting from the government is the Aasra pension. This dole was not released on time. As against the cut out date of 5th of every month, the pensions are being released only after 20th of the month. While the existing disabled people are not getting their dole on time, think about the applicants waiting to see approval of their application for several years,” Mohd.Yousuf another representative of the society.
It is said that there are a total of 4,82,409 disabled persons getting benefitted through Aasara pensions in the state. However, over 11 lakhs people including disabled are still waiting to get the dole from the government despite securing SADARAM certificates considered essential to benefit under the scheme. Only Hyderabad and Rangareddy districts have 28,228 and 26,394 disabled persons respectively.
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Gorenkala Narsimha, Honorary President National Platform for the Rights of Fisabled (NPRD), said “Leave alone other benefits, even the pensions are not reaching the disable people on time. Festivals are passing without any fervor due to delay in pensions which hold of a much importance to the poor people having no other source of income except the dole being released under the Aasra scheme. atleast this benefit should be reached to the beneficiaries on time.”
