TMC's Abhishek launches old-age pension scheme in his LS seat; BJP questions source of funds

Sources close to Banerjee claimed that the funds will come from the contributions of the volunteers and that there is no scope for any form of irregularity.

Senior Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday launched a pension scheme for senior citizens in his Diamond Harbour constituency ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Opposition BJP, however, questioned the source of funds needed for the initiative. Under the 'Shroddhargyo' (respect to seniors) initiative launched by the TMC national general secretary, 16,380 party volunteers will contribute funds towards providing a monthly pension of Rs 1,000 to over 76,000 elderly people in the Lok Sabha constituency in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. Sources in the party said that the special initiative will mark Banerjee’s two terms in the seat.

Addressing the programme, Banerjee said, "A total of 16,380 volunteers have been shortlisted to bring smiles to the faces of senior citizens in Diamond Harbour. These volunteers will provide cheques and conduct the verification process. Approximately 76,000 beneficiaries will receive the old-age pension." Banerjee exuded confidence that the TMC government would also introduce a similar scheme across the state. The pension of Rs 1,000 will be disbursed through cheques or direct bank transfers.

"Today, we handed over cheques to around 15,000-20,000 people across the constituency. Over the next 72 hours, the remaining selected beneficiaries will receive money in their bank accounts. We will also conduct tele-verification of whether they received the money," he said. On the process of selecting the beneficiaries, Banerjee said that in the last two months, camps were held in various wards in which over 85,000 people registered their names. "Following data verification, our volunteers conducted physical verification at the homes of the applicants and of them, 76,120 were short-listed. This is a huge feat… 16,380 volunteers took it upon themselves to bring smiles on the faces of 4-5 elderly persons each. It is through their efforts that we are able to successfully execute our plan," he said.

However, the Leader of the Opposition in the assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, questioned the source of funds needed for the initiative. "Generally, such schemes are initiated by central or state governments. How can an MP start a direct cash transfer scheme? I will draw the attention of competent authorities to investigate the source of funds and verify the authenticity of these 16,380 volunteers," he told reporters. Sources close to Banerjee claimed that the funds will come from the contributions of the volunteers and that there is no scope for any form of irregularity.

Banerjee has also started providing financial aid to around 3,000 job-deprived MGNREGA workers, who participated in the TMC’s protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi in October last year. He had previously launched initiatives for residents of his constituency during the COVID-19 pandemic, eliciting both praise and criticism.