KUMUD JENAMANI
Jamshedpur, Dec 18: Scores of beneficiaries of the popular welfare scheme Maiya Samman Yojna are getting increasingly anxious due to the delay in disbursement of the scheme money in the post-election month of December.
Such beneficiaries are eagerly making round to their respective banks to know whether the increased freebies that they were supposed to get from December has come to the banks or not.
The beneficiaries in the age groups of 18 to 50 years were supposed to get Rs 2,500 from December. Earlier since August 2024, they have been getting Rs 1,000 per month, thus developing an affinity with the JMM-led Mahagathbandhan government.
Significantly, a few weeks ahead of the Assembly elections, when the chief minister Hemant Soren declared that the freebies will be increased from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,500 a day, the beneficiaries mostly belonging to lower economic strata, had found themselves on cloud nine.
Officials’ responses and lack of clarity
Office of the Assistant Director, Social Security, deals with the matter of pension schemes, including the Maiya Samman Yojna at the district level. The ADSSes in Kolhan seem to be not comfortable in replying to the queries related to any update regarding the ‘popular’ women’s welfare scheme.
Khushendra Kumar, Assistant Director, Social Security, West Singhbhum flatly refused to divulge any information about the fund allotment towards the Maiya Samman Yojna.
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“It is a matter of departmental secret. I cannot say anything about it,” said Khushendra while talking to The Jharkhand Story.
ADSS, East Singhbhum, Sanjana Neha Khalko, however, talked, expressing concern while responding to the queries.
“A video conferencing had been held with the authority concerned recently when we were asked to keep the records pertaining to the Maiya Samman Yojna ready. Earlier, we had been asked to place the demand of the amount to be disbursed to this effect, which we have done already. But no fund has been released as of today,” said Khalko while talking to The Jharkhand Story.
The ADSS said there are over three lakhs beneficiaries in the East Singhbhum, adding that they are waiting for the funds that would reach the beneficiaries through banks.
Beneficiaries seek updates at local banks
The inquisitive beneficiaries can be seen mostly in Jharkhand Gramin Bank where they have their Savings Accounts.
Pushpanjali Devi and Aisha Khatoon turned up at the Jharkhand Gramin Bank’s Adityapur branch in the adjoining Seraikela- Kharsawan district like dozens of other beneficiaries of the scheme today.
“I had come to inquire if Rs 2,500 has come to my account. Last time Rs 1,000 had come to the account prior to the election and as per the promise made by the chief minister Hemant Soren, the Maiya Samman Yojna amount will be increased to Rs 2,500. But I cannot understand why there is delay,” an anxious Pushpanjali said while talking to this correspondent.
The beneficiary, when queried, said she had voted for the JMM candidate blindly, thinking that it was her moral duty to pay back in the form of vote when the ruling party had considered about the wellbeing of the women.
A mother of three children, Pushpanjali said the pension amount would help her immensely as her children are studying with her husband’s limited income.
Aisha Khatoon, however, declined to say anything.
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Background and political context
It may be mentioned here that chief minister Hemant Soren had first launched the Maiya Samman Yojna for women in the 21 to 50 years age groups in August this year, declaring Rs 1,000 to be paid every month under the scheme. But as the Assembly election came closer, he not only announced increasing the pension amount from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,500 but also expanded beneficiaries’ age groups from 21 years to 18 years, obviously expecting that more and more voters would cast their votes for the Mahagathbandhan.
Moreover, the chief minister and his wife had carried out extensive propaganda across the state about the Maiya Samman Yojna during the election campaign, considering the step as a masterstroke to win the election.
Remarkably, the BJP-led NDA had also announced a women’s welfare scheme, Gogo Didi, similar to the Maiya Samman Yojna and had promised to pay Rs 2,100 to each beneficiary if voted to power, but it was inordinately late by the time the scheme was declared.
