Along with assisting the elderly, infirm, disabled, and poor women, the Department of Social Welfare is conducting a number of schemes to improve the socio-economic position of those in the weaker sections of society. One is the ISSS (Integrated Social Security Scheme), which was the backbone of Jammu and Kashmir’s poorer portion population for many years. Under this scheme, the government of Jammu and Kashmir gives Rs 1000 in the name of financial support. A large number of people from the less fortunate and disadvantaged classes, including senior citizens, people with disabilities, women in need, and transgender people, are fighting for their lives and have taken to the streets to protest the JK government, especially the Department of Social Welfare, which, according to them, has failed to release their Rs 1000 pension in a timely manner.
According to reports, the government of Jammu and Kashmir issued new rules and regulations in September 2022 and instructed all ISSS scheme participants to submit a new application on the Jansugam portal in order to receive their benefits. Social activists and beneficiaries of this process expressed their displeasure with the administration for this new rule from a number of political leaders. Senior folks and people with disabilities found it extremely difficult to complete this verification process. Even yet, numerous documents are required for this verification, including a ration card e-ticket, a domicile certificate, an age certificate, an affidavit, and an Adhar seeding. Two older individuals died in different districts of Jammu & Kashmir throughout this process.
“The UT administration”, according to Javid Ahmad Bhat, who has a locomotor handicap in both legs, “has no mercy on us”. “To access pension plans, they first instructed us to create UIDAI cards. Once we had done so, they instructed us to submit applications for verification on the JANSUGAM portal with a variety of supporting documents. Without this pension, I would not have any income, and the process cost money,” he said. The Jammu and Kashmir administration, according to Javaid, is making every attempt to “persecute” the PWD community. Instead of pursuing this minimal financial aid, the disabled section of society demanded an increase in the disability pension from Rs 1000 to Rs 3000.
Another elderly person from the Anantnag district, Zeeba Ahkter, said, “I am widowed for the past twenty years and I live with one daughter who is also disabled and has vision problems. We run our daily life on this pension, but starting in December 2022, my pension was stopped and it creates a lot of barriers and obstacles in my social life.” A large group of pensioners have gathered these days to protest the lack of a social security pension payment for the past few years. In order to make the LG administration and the social welfare agency accountable for the delay in the release of the pension, they chanted anti-government slogans.
Now, the government of Jammu and Kashmir should take good welfare steps for these beneficiaries and sanction the release of pensions. The elders should not be made to visit the banks frequently to check pension releases.
The writer is a doctoral candidate at the University of Kashmir and is a social worker. He can be reached at dr******@***il.com
Social security scheme beneficiaries face hardships and trauma these days
