What happened: CPI(M) targeted Kerala’s shift from doorstep pensions to DBT

CPI(M) in Kerala intensified opposition to a change in social welfare pension disbursal. CPI(M) opposes the reported shift from doorstep in-person delivery of pensions to direct benefit transfer (DBT) credit into Aadhaar-linked bank accounts.

The reported DBT amount is ₹2,000 per month. The beneficiaries reported include the elderly, differently abled people, widows, agricultural labourers, and single women above 60 years, with around 60 lakh beneficiaries receiving social security allowances.

CPI(M) announced large-scale mobilisation of pension beneficiaries against the shift. CPI(M) leader K.N. Balagopal alleged that the DBT delivery system can become an entrenched mechanism that results in bureaucratic delays and undermines pension delivery.

Background and earlier position: doorstep in-person delivery

Kerala’s pension disbursal included doorstep in-person delivery before the reported shift to DBT credit into Aadhaar-linked bank accounts. CPI(M) opposes replacing doorstep delivery with DBT routing into Aadhaar-linked bank accounts.

Related current affairs