Currently in Odisha, more than 10,000 elderly people and the specially abled are waiting for their monthly pension of Rs 3,500. Social Security & Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Minister Nityananda Gond laid out the numbers for the state assembly on Friday following a query by Kendrapara MLA Ganeswar Behera.
The data reveals a significant backlog across different social security schemes. Among citizens over 80 years of age, 3,835 applicants are awaiting approval—3,689 under the state’s Madhu Babu Pension Yojana (MBPY) and 146 under the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP). Furthermore, 6,485 persons with more than 80% disability are also in the queue, with 6,029 registered under MBPY and 456 under NSAP.
It’s not just a single area facing the issue—district-level data shows the backlog spreads across Odisha. Ganjam district tops the list of elderly applicants over 80 waiting for benefits, with 532 cases stuck in processing. Cuttack district has the highest number of severely disabled applicants, with 614 individuals still not receiving their pension.
Addressing the concerns regarding the delay, Minister told the assembly that the government is actively working to fix these bottlenecks. He emphasized that efforts are underway to expedite the verification and approval of these applications so that the eligible beneficiaries can begin receiving their financial support as soon as possible.
