On Friday, the CPI(M)-led Left government in Kerala unveiled an Onam gift for over 60 lakh beneficiaries by announcing the disbursement of a two-month pension. State Finance Minister K. N. Balagopal confirmed that Rs 1,700 crore has been allocated for this initiative.
"Around 62 lakh people will receive Rs 3,200 each for Onam. This is in addition to the one month's pension that is currently being given," he said in a statement here.
The decision to start disbursing the Social Security and Welfare Fund pension to beneficiaries next week is viewed as a strategy by the Left government to rebuild its support base, which was eroded during the Lok Sabha elections. The CPI(M) and its allies had previously blamed their poor performance in the Lok Sabha polls on the delayed settlement of dues and had called for corrective measures.
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In the polls, the LDF won just one seat, while the Congress-led UDF secured 18 seats, and the BJP opened its account for the first time in the state's political history.
Balagopal stated that the pension payments will begin reaching beneficiaries next week. He noted that 26.62 lakh people will receive their pensions directly into their bank accounts, while others will have their pensions delivered to their homes via cooperative banks. He also clarified that one of the two additional months' pensions is intended as a backlog payment.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had previously assured the Assembly that the delayed backlog payments of social security pensions, which were impacted by financial constraints, would be settled within this year and the next.