Odisha is set to resolve all outstanding old-age pension payments by October while continuing with regular monthly distributions, according to Minister Nityananda Gond.

Bhubaneswar: Senior citizens in Odisha who have faced delays in their welfare payments over the past five months will receive all owed funds along with their standard monthly disbursements by October. This announcement was made in the state legislature on Friday.

The delays have raised concerns among vulnerable recipients and led to political tensions within the Odisha Legislative Assembly, where opposition members from both the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Congress have consistently questioned the government regarding the missed welfare payments.

In a written response to the assembly, Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) Minister Nityananda Gond clarified that the payment interruptions were due to procedural and technical issues rather than a lack of policy changes or funding.

Currently, the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS) in Odisha supports a total of 20,33,959 beneficiaries. Under this program, recipients aged between 60 and 79 receive Rs 1,000 monthly, while those aged 80 and older receive Rs 3,500 each month.

Minister Gond recognized the difficulties faced by elderly recipients and assured that administrative teams are working diligently to resolve the technical issues, aiming to ensure that every eligible individual receives their due support without further complications.

To address these challenges, the SSEPD Department has initiated collaborative troubleshooting with the State Finance Department, Treasury officials, and central government agencies. This joint effort aims to fix system integration problems between state processing systems and central registries.

As the system repairs progress to their conclusion, the administration intends to process the outstanding arrears in conjunction with the scheduled October payouts directly to the beneficiaries’ accounts.