No more direct delivery of welfare pension: Government removes cooperative banks from distribution

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala government has decided to stop distributing social welfare pensions directly through cooperative banks. An order has been issued removing cooperative banks from the pension distribution system. Under the new arrangement, social welfare pensions will be disbursed through nationalised banks, while doorstep delivery will be limited to bedridden beneficiaries and others who cannot access the service.

The government order states that several cooperative societies have not been properly recording repayment details. It also highlights the expenditure on incentive payments made to cooperative societies. The decision was taken after examining a letter from Kerala Social Security Pension Ltd.

During the previous government's tenure, social welfare pensions were distributed almost entirely through cooperative institutions. Collection agents of cooperative societies were responsible for delivering the pensions. The present UDF government has now changed that system.