Delhi’s Pension Purge: 60,000 Unmaskings in Women’s Welfare Shake-Up!

In a complete revamp of the Delhi government's Women's Pension Scheme, officials weeded out over 60,000 ineligible beneficiaries after the Department of Women and Child Development (WCD) carried out an exhaustive door-to-door verification exercise. The action has been taken so that the monthly cash support of ₹2,500 reaches only those women who are genuinely entitled to the scheme.

 

Key Highlights

 

Massive Clean-Up

More than 60,000 names have been removed from the beneficiary list following the verification drive, which was initiated in November last year and included around 4.25 lakh women.

 

Typical Discrepancies Faced:

 

Remarried women who still portray themselves as divorced or widowed

 

Women employed with consistent incomes receiving the pension

 

Beneficiaries who live elsewhere than the registered addresses

 

Current Status:

The active beneficiaries have now touched around 3.65 lakh, falling short of almost 4.25 lakh before the drive. Pension disbursement has been suspended for those found ineligible and resumed for confirmed beneficiaries.

 

Scheme Background:

Initiated in 2007-08, the scheme initially benefited 6,288 women to the tune of ₹600 per month. It has now been expanded, providing ₹2,500 per month to divorced, widowed, separated women, and destitute women who are aged 18 and more, have resided in Delhi for at least five years, and possess a family income of less than ₹1 lakh per annum.

 

Financial Consequences

 

The Delhi government pays around ₹1,140 crore annually for the scheme.

 

Official Statement:

 

Officials argue that the verification was not intended to block assistance from rightful claimants but to exclude fake claims in the interest of maintaining the integrity of the welfare state. This is a step toward preventing deserving women from being deprived of immediate assistance. Next Steps: WCD department has implemented verification in all districts with sustained efforts towards accuracy and accountability of the beneficiary database. 

 

Source: PTI through The Week, Devdiscourse, Millennium Post