‘Rectify glitches in welfare pension payment’

The first bench comprising acting Chief Justice Huluvadi G Ramesh and Justice RMT Teekaa Raman on directing the petitioner who moved the public interest litigation to provide the government the details of persons who have been deprived of such benefits, said “On receipt of such particulars/details the authorities concerned shall look into the issue within a period of two months and do the needful in accordance with law.” 

The petitioner A Sampath, a retired block development officer and social worker had contended that as many as 36 lakh beneficiaries were getting monthly pensions under various welfare schemes such as Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS), Differently Abled Pension Scheme (DAPS), and Destitute Widows Pension Scheme (DWPS) and so on under SSS. But, without any intimation or assigning any reason, notice or information, the pension of as many as 4,15,478 beneficiaries was withdrawn without following the procedures known to law, he said. 

The petitioner further submitted that despite several representations being made and agitations being held, the beneficiaries were merely made to run from pillar to post. In the meanwhile, some brokers had also emerged demanding Rs 10,000 to Rs 15, 000 for dealing with the filed officers to settle their pension pending since 2014, he added. 

However, the government counsel had submitted that the decision to stop or withdraw the pension was taken due to the death of some beneficiaries, transfer of their residence and in some cases the monthly pension sent was returned continuously for three months. 

However, the bench also made it clear that during the identification process, if any person is found to be drawing pension based on dual registration or by giving false particulars, the petitioner can lodge a complaint to the police concerned who in turn shall register an FIR.

The Madras High Court has been informed that the Government Order (GO) to include some more hilly/remote and inaccessible areas for awarding incentive marks in admission to Post Graduate Medical courses for the academic year 2017- 18 will not be implemented.

Justice N Kirubakaran on disposing a batch of writ petitions which challenged the said G O issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department, said “It is clear that a decision has been taken not to include the new areas for entitlement of incentive marks for admission of Post Graduate Students for the year 2017-18 and it would take care of the interest of the petitioners.”     

The petitioners including Dr G Kamaleshwaran of Vella Kovil, Tiruppur, had contended that as per the selection process the authorities have been grating one additional mark per year for doctors who work in rural areas and two additional marks per year to doctors who work in PHCs/hospitals situated in hilly and remote areas as an incentive and a list of such remote areas have already been published.  But not withstanding this, the state Health Department on February 08, 2017 declared another 106 new PHCs, Government Hospitals and Medical Colleges as remote/inaccessible areas and hilly areas. Stating that by virtue of this, the ranking of as many as 127 service candidates already working in rural and other specified areas would be pushed down, they sought the Court to quash the Government Order.