Delhi Social Welfare Minister Ravinder Indra Singh has expressed displeasure over 22,512 vacancies under the Old Age Pension (OAP) scheme and 9,946 pending applications, and directed that all cases be cleared within seven days.
In a note dated September 10, Singh said more than 50 per cent of the OAP cases had not been sanctioned within the prescribed 45-day timeline and “such delay is unacceptable”.
The scheme is meant to provide timely financial assistance to the elderly and vulnerable beneficiaries, he said.
Expressing “serious concern and displeasure” over the delay in sanctioning OAP cases, the minister directed the department to fix responsibility and initiate appropriate disciplinary action against officials found responsible.
He also ordered that all pending OAP cases be processed and disposed of within seven days from the date of issuance of his note.
In a circular issued on Monday, the Department of Social Welfare cited the minister’s note and directed all District Social Welfare Officers (DSWOs) to ensure that the pending OAP applications are processed and disposed of expeditiously.
Delhi has a total of 38,706 slots under the OAP and there are 22,512 vacancies, according to the circular.
According to the district-wise status of OAP applications from January 1 to September 8 shared in the circular, the department received 16,194 applications against the available vacancies. Of these, 6,150 applications have been sanctioned, 98 rejected and 9,946 are pending.
North West-II district has the highest number of pending applications at 4,058, followed by West at 1,675 and North East at 1,626, the data showed.
North district has 897 pending applications, South has 489, New Delhi 399 and North West-I 375. East has 293 pending applications, Central 106 and South West 18.
According to a senior official, there is a shortage of district-level officers who process applications and clear pendency.
One DSWO is handling the work of two or three districts, he said.
The department said that the seven-day deadline is a special measure for clearing the existing backlog and does not change the prescribed 45-day timeline for fresh applications.
Pendency at every stage will have to be monitored daily by the concerned DSWO, and no application should be kept pending without valid and recorded reasons, the circular said.
Any delay beyond the e-Service Level Agreement (e-SLA) prescribed timeline will be specifically reviewed and reported, it said.
The e-SLA is a monitoring mechanism for the implementation of the Delhi (Right of Citizen to Time Bound Delivery of Services) Act, 2011, which provides for time-bound delivery of citizen-centric services.
In another communication issued by Singh’s office on July 3, he had ordered immediate processing of pending OAP applications forwarded under the minister’s discretionary quota and weekly compliance reports.
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The July communication had also directed district offices to remain functional on all days, including public holidays, until all pending cases were processed or sanctioned.
In a note referring to the July communication, the minister’s office said that 806 applications had been forwarded to the department on April 10 for consideration under the Minister Quota, but none had been processed.
