Shimla, March 25: More than 27,000 social security pension cases are pending approval in Himachal Pradesh, the state government informed the विधानसभा on Wednesday.
Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Dhani Ram Shandil, in a written reply, said the pendency stands at over 27,000 cases. He was responding to queries raised by BJP MLAs Vinod Kumar and Jeet Ram Katwal.
Providing details, the minister said that social security pensions are currently being disbursed to 8,06,846 beneficiaries across the state, including 3,50,002 individuals aged 70 years and above.
Breaking down the pending cases, Shandil said 19,824 applications relate to old-age pensions, 4,291 to widows, abandoned and single women, and 2,202 to relief allowances for the differently abled.
“The pending cases would be resolved in a phased manner,” the minister said.
He further clarified that the government has no proposal to deliver pensions on a door-to-door basis. Instead, payments are being made through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system to ensure transparency and efficiency.
“As many as 27,000 social security pensions are pending approval in Himachal Pradesh,” Shandil said, adding, “Pensions are being disbursed through direct benefit transfer.”
The government’s phased clearance plan is expected to address the backlog while continuing support to over eight lakh beneficiaries in the state.
