Amaravathi, Dec 28: The TDP national general secretary and former minister, Mr Nara Lokesh, on Wednesday asked the State Government to immediately put an end to the removal of pensions to certain persons under the guise of meaningless and fake guidelines.
In an open letter addressed to the Chief Minister, Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy, the TDP national general secretary asked whether he has forgotten the promises made to the grand-old parents, orphans, single women and the physically challenged to come to power. Stating that the TDP has increased the monthly pension amount 10 times, from Rs 200 to Rs 2,000, Mr Lokesh pointed out that Mr Jagan, who promised to hike the amount to Rs 3,000 has cheated the pensioners.
Soon after coming to power, Mr Jagan removed the pension benefit to 18.75 lakh persons under the guise of age limit, he said and asked Mr Jagan whether it is really justifiable to remove the pension benefit again to the beneficiaries which only amounts to cheating. Instead of hiking the pension amount which is being paid since long, hollow and distorted guidelines have been framed only to take away the benefit from six lakh pensioners which amounts to doing injustice to them, Mr Lokesh said in the letter.
Pointing out that the pension benefit for the poor families in Maradikota Panchayat of Meliyaputti mandal of Srikakulam district has been withdrawn claiming that they own thousands of acres of land though they do no,t have even a single cent of land , Mr Lokesh asked Mr Jagan, in a rather sarcastic manner, to take 90 percent of the land they own and give them only the remaining 10 per cent.
Also, notices have been served on one daily-wage earner Ms Ramakka of Penugonda mandal headquarters town of Sathya Sai district that she owns 158 houses though she has been living in the Indiramma House, he said and demanded that the 158 houses mentioned in the notices served on her be handed over to her. This apart, payment of pension has been stopped to a woman, Ms Satyasri, of Kommanapalli village in Mummidivaram mandal on the ground that her husband is paying tax, though he died three years ago.
“It does not matter even if you do not pay the pension to Ms Satyasri, but see to it that her husband comes alive,” Mr Lokesh told Mr Jagan satarically. One Mr Settiyaar of Chittoor district died of heart stroke as his pension was stopped suddenly, Mr Lokesh said and asked is it not inhuman to withdraw the pension benefit to the physically challenged children of one Mr Seenu of Kakinada with the sole reason that he built a house. The pension to these children was being paid for the past 10 years, he said.
Though the pension is being paid to them for the past several years, why are they asked to submit a certificate now, Mr Lokesh asked. He told Mr Jagan to think on humanitarian grounds and not take back the pension benefit from them on flimsy grounds and revive the benefit to those who have already been discontinued.
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