DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Under the dynamic leadership of Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government continues to take concrete measures for the welfare of senior citizens, women, and children across the state. In line with these efforts, Social Security, Women and Child Development Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur informed that a provision of Rs 6175 crore has been made for social security schemes during the current financial year. Out of this, Rs 1539 crore has already been disbursed as regular pensions to 34.40 lakh beneficiaries up to May 2025.

While chairing a high-level meeting with senior and field officials of the department at Kisan Bhawan today, Dr. Baljit Kaur reviewed the implementation of various social security schemes. She issued clear directions to ensure that the benefits of government-run schemes are promptly extended to all eligible beneficiaries without any delay.

The Minister further instructed officials to expedite the ongoing 'Saade Buzurg Saada Maan' survey and to ensure that every eligible elderly citizen receives their entitled pension. She also emphasized that during the survey, necessary action should be taken to recover any funds lying in the bank accounts of deceased beneficiaries, so that these resources can be utilized for supporting other deserving applicants.

Dr. Baljit Kaur also shared that 43,644 new pension applications have been approved for the financial year 2025?26. She directed officials to complete this vital work with full transparency, responsibility, and within the stipulated timeframe. Any delay in processing pension applications will not be tolerated, she added.

The Minister instructed all district and departmental officers to closely monitor the implementation of social welfare schemes at the grassroots level and to actively run awareness campaigns to ensure maximum public outreach. She stressed the need to maintain transparency and efficiency in the execution of these welfare programs.

(editor@dailyworld.in)