Mismatch of thumb impressions proves costly

Tirupati: Hundreds of elderly persons are denied of monthly pensions as their thumb impressions were not matching with the impressions stored in the Aadhaar data due to old age.

More than 65,000 elderly people across the district are receiving the monthly pension of Rs 1,000 from the state government. They are facing trouble to collect pension in between 1st and 5th of every month. The pensions are being distributed by the staff of the Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (MEPMA) and revenue bill collectors.

Every month, elderly persons are visiting pension disbursing centres and turning back with empty hands without getting pension. Across the district, February month alone more than 10,000 elderly persons did not get pension due to mismatch of thumb impression.

But, the pension disbursing employees say that pensions are issued after 5 of every month by taking a snap of beneficiary if finger prints were not matched. Several elderly men and women in villages are complaining pensions are not distributed regularly. In Municipal Corporation of Tirupati (MCT), the state government has been distributing the pensions to 3,083 beneficiaries.

More than 500 pensioners are facing hardship to get monthly pension with technical difficulties. K Ranganatham (82), a resident of temple city, said that he did not receive his monthly pension as his thumbnail did not match with Aadhaar data.

Responding over the issue, Lavanya, pension section in-charge in MCT, stated that pensions are being distributed to every beneficiary even if finger prints were not tallied.

By K Nethaji