Kerala govt commences distribution of social security, welfare board pension to 60 lakh beneficiaries

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government has initiated the distribution of social security, welfare board pension for the months of May and June in the state, in view of the upcoming Onam festival season.

The Left government will be distributing Rs 3,200 each to around 60 lakh beneficiaries and allotted Rs 1,762 crore for this, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a Facebook post on Saturday.

The Left government has been providing welfare board pension of Rs 1,600 each to beneficiaries every month and is currently disbursing the amount for the months of May and June.

"Around 60 lakh people will receive Rs 3,200 each as social security pension to celebrate Onam. The state government has set aside Rs 1,762 crore, including Rs 212 crore for the welfare board pension, despite the Union Govt's suspension of funds since 2021. Disbursement will be completed by August 23," Vijayan said in a Facebook post.

Attacking the union government, he claimed that even though it has not released its share towards the social security pension for the past two years, the left government has been disturbing the full amount every month without fail.

Vijayan said the central government was yet to disburse its share of Rs 580 crore from January 2021 that the state government has already released to the beneficiaries of the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP).