Chennai, January 21st
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today ordered the expansion of the Biometric Smart Card based disbursement of Social Security Pension Scheme..
After risi9ng the pension from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000, Ms Jayalalithaa had launched the scheme in September last, to disburse the monthly pension to help the beneficiaries to get the benefit without any delay.
Under the system, the beneficiaries would have to open bank accounts and the banks in turn would extend doorstep service and disburse the pension through banking correspondents.
The scheme was launched in some blocks in Cuddalore and Tiruchirapalli districts in September last and widely welcomed by the beneficiaries.After seeing the success of the scheme, Ms Jayalalithaa ordered the expansion of the scheme throughout the state. In the first phase, it would be implemented in 4,385 villages, which had a population of more than 2,000 as per the 2001 census by June this year.In the second phase, the scheme would be implemented in villages, which had a population of 1,000 to 2,000 and in the third phase, it would be implemented in all villages and urban areas.Besides ensuring expeditious disbursement of pension, the new and progressive scheme prevented fake beneficiaries from getting pension, according to sources.
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