Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference senior leader and MP (Anantnag) Hasnain Masoodi on Saturday asked the administration to extend the date of the Aadhaar seeding of Disability pension beneficiaries.
Expressing concern over the plight of disability pension beneficiaries, Masoodi, in a statement issued here, said that in view of the ongoing harsh winter season, the administration should extend the seeding date so that the maximum number of beneficiaries are able to link their pension accounts with their Aadhaar numbers.
Pending the Aadhaar seeding, Masoodi asked the administration to continue the disbursement of monthly disability pensions to beneficiaries.
“It is not possible for physically crippled and challenged people to get their pension accounts Adhaar seeded in such a short span of time. Most of the upper reaches and outlying hamlets continue to remain disconnected from their nearby towns and district headquarters. Hastening the process, it goes without saying, will result in the financial exclusion of thousands of beneficiaries. Therefore it is imperative for the administration to fine-tune the Aadhaar seeding with local climatic conditions,” he said.
He also impressed upon the government to increase the disability pension in view of the rising inflation and price rise. “The financial assistance given to the beneficiaries is too little to cover their nutritional needs, let alone meet their healthcare expenses. Therefore in the true spirit of being a welfare state, the government should increase the monthly assistance of the disabled up to Rs 5000 per month,” he added.
