Bengal: Abhishek Banerjee Launches Old-Age Pension Scheme In His LS Seat, BJP Demands Probe Into 'Source Of Funds'

Under the initiative, over 76,000 elderly people will get a monthly pension of Rs 1,000 in the Lok Sabha constituency.

New Delhi: Ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, senior Trinamool Congress leader and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday launched a pension scheme for senior citizens in his Diamond Harbour constituency. 

Under the 'Shroddhargyo' (respect to seniors) initiative, 16,380 party volunteers will contribute funds towards providing a monthly pension of Rs 1,000 to over 76,000 elderly people in the Lok Sabha constituency, reported news agency PTI.

Speaking at the event, Banerjee said, "A total of 16,380 volunteers have been shortlisted to bring smiles to the faces of senior citizens in Diamond Harbour. These volunteers will provide cheques and conduct the verification process. Approximately 76,000 beneficiaries will receive the old-age pension." 

The pension of Rs 1,000 will be disbursed through cheques or direct bank transfers.

"Today, we handed over cheques to around 15,000-20,000 people across the constituency. Over the next 72 hours, the remaining selected beneficiaries will receive money in their bank accounts. We will also conduct tele-verification of whether they received the money," he said, reported PTI.

On the process of selecting the beneficiaries, Banerjee said over 85,000 people registered their names in the last two months to reap the benefit of the scheme.

"Following data verification, our volunteers conducted physical verification at the homes of the applicants and of them, 76,120 were short-listed. This is a huge feat... 16,380 volunteers took it upon themselves to bring smiles on the faces of 4-5 elderly persons each. It is through their efforts that we are able to successfully execute our plan," he said.

Opposition BJP, however, questioned the source of funds needed for the initiative, reported PTI.

Leader of the Opposition in the assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, told reporters, "Generally, such schemes are initiated by central or state governments. How can an MP start a direct cash transfer scheme? I will draw the attention of competent authorities to investigate the source of funds and verify the authenticity of these 16,380 volunteers."

However, sources close to Banerjee claimed that the funds will come from the contributions of the volunteers and that there is no scope for any form of irregularity, reported PTI.