Rights groups raise concerns over pension payout split on elderly

More than 2.11 lakh pensioners aged 80 and above across the old-age, widow and disability categories would be affected. REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE | Photo Credit: REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE The United Forum for RTI Campaign, Andhra Pradesh, and the Human Rights Forum (HRF) on Friday urged the State government to ensure that social security pensioners continue to receive their full pension at their doorstep in a single payment.Chakradhar Buddha, co-convenor of the United Forum for RTI campaign, Andhra Pradesh, and K. Anuradha, HRF State Committee member, said a September 22 memorandum issued by the Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Department would route the Centre’s share of pensions under the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) directly into beneficiaries’ bank accounts through the SNA-SPARSH system.According to the representatives, 9,34,980 beneficiaries will have their pensions split between doorstep cash payments and Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). An old-age pensioner aged 60-79 will receive ₹3,800 at the doorstep and ₹200 through DBT, while a widow aged 40-79 will receive ₹3,700 and ₹300, respectively. For pensioners aged 80 and above, ₹500 will be paid through DBT.The representatives said more than 2.11 lakh pensioners aged 80 and above across the old-age, widow and disability categories would be affected. They said the change could pose particular difficulties in Adivasi and remote areas where banking and transport facilities were limited.Citing a LibTech India study in the Paderu Integrated Tribal Development Agency area of ASR district, they said half of those surveyed spent more than ₹200 on a single visit to access money from their accounts, while one in 10 spent more than ₹400.The representatives said the Centre’s contribution was ₹27.64 crore a month, or about ₹332 crore annually, which they said was roughly 1% of the State’s pension expenditure. They urged the State to take up the matter with the Union government or consider bearing the Centre’s share.They also said splitting the pension could create confusion over payments and referred to a September 27, 2021, Andhra Pradesh High Court judgment on social security pensions and the need to ensure that benefits reach the poor and needy. Published - September 25, 2026 07:09 pm IST