Defunct printer delays pensions

HUBLI: "Nimma pension innu bandilri (Your pension is still to come)." This is what the staff of nationalized banks and post offices are tired of
telling the widows, disabled, senior citizens and aging labourers who frequent them daily for the past 10 days.

Over 1 lakh poor men and women in Hubli taluk who are entitled to pensions under various social security schemes are yet to get their due for the month of October. By law, they were supposed to get the monthly pension on or before October 31.

What is interesting is the reason given by the district treasury office for the delay, which seems to be frivolous. They say the printer for the stationery required, is under repair. According to the district treasury officer, A N Pattanashetty, a small lead type electronic component of the printer had become ineffective due to which the printer was unable to clearly print the rear side of the Money Order forms.

After discovering the snag, they decided to replace the component which costs around Rs 1 lakh. This is taking time. The department of posts does not print forms on its own. The printing of Money Order forms has been outsourced to a Mumbai-based company. The state government in turn, buys the forms and other stationery from the post offices.

Pattanashetty said his office did not receive any prior information about the delay from the department's Network Management Centre in Bangalore about the delay. "We have informed the same to NMC on not getting the parcel on the scheduled date," he said.
However, Pattanashetty hoped that the consignment will reach shortly. "Once we get the forms, we will work day and night to see that the pension reaches the beneficiaries at the earliest," he added.