Disburse pensions in 3 days or face protest: Sharmila

President of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC), YS Sharmila Reddy, has urged Chief Secretary, Dr KS Jawahar Reddy, to expedite the distribution of pensions within two to three days. She has warned the Chief Secretary that failure to do so will lead to a protest staged in front of his office.
Following directives from the Election Commission, the State government has instructed all Gram/Ward Volunteers to deposit their mobile phones at their respective Sachivalayams. Additionally, officials have been tasked with making alternative arrangements to ensure the timely distribution of pensions.
In light of these developments, APCC Chief YS Sharmila Reddy reached out to CS Jawahar Reddy via telephone to inquire about the progress of alternative arrangements for pension distribution.
However, CS Jawahar Reddy informed her that it would require 10 days to complete the distribution.
Expressing dissatisfaction, Sharmila issued a press release on Sunday, stressing that the government must conclude the pension distribution within two to three days, failing which she would organize a protest in front of the CS office.
She questioned the government’s delay in completing pension distribution despite the absence of the Volunteer system and suggested utilizing other government employees and the Direct Beneficiary Transfer (DBT) system for swift distribution.
Sharmila also raised concerns about the availability of the pensioners’ list and speculated about possible government conspiracy to deliberately delay the distribution process.
Furthermore, she called upon the government to heed the suggestion from the Election Commission of India (ECI) to expedite the pension distribution.
Meanwhile, CPI State Secretary K Ramakrishna urged the state government to take alternative measures for pension distribution. Following the ECI’s directives, the government has instructed Gram/Ward Volunteers to return their mobile phones. Ramakrishna emphasised the importance of ensuring smooth pension distribution for April, May, and June without causing inconvenience to the pensioners.