Bank, postal staff strike hits Asara beneficiaries hard

​Mahbubnagar: The two-day strike by bank employees and the nine-day-old strike by Postal staff in Mahbubnagar hit the poor, particularly the Asara pensioners, hard.

Asara pensioners are being denied pension since April on one or other pretext. The banks, citing severe cash crunch, did not pay pensions in April. The Rythu Bandhu programme too stood in the way of paying pension to the pensioners. The nine-day-old strike by the Postal staff also hit the Asara beneficiaries in the rural areas. 

The government is paying pension to the beneficiaries through post offices in rural areas. Though the government provided funds, the Postal staff, who are on strike, denied pension to the Asara pensioners.

Currently in the entire erstwhile Mahbubnagar district, there are more 4.29 lakh Asara pensioners. The state government distributes Rs 52,41,84,000 to them in Mahbubnagar, Wanaparthy, Gadwal and Nagarkurnool districts. While 1,37,714 pensioners are receiving Rs 14,73,24,500 through accounts in banks, the remaining 2,91,637 beneficiaries are paid Rs 37,65,62,000 through Postal Department. 

Apart from them, Mandal Parishad Development Officers and Gram Panchayat Secretaries too are distribution pensions to the beneficiaries in some cases. 

A total of 1,100 postal staff working under two postal divisions of Gadwal-Mahbubnagar and Nagarkurnool-Wanaparthy divisions. Under Mahbubnagar-Gadwal division there are 380 post offices. The pensioners were not paid pensions in April because of strike by the postal employees. “We demand that the government immediately direct officials to distribute the pension arrears,” said a Mudavath Laxmamma. 

“We are in talks with the postal officials and are also preparing a detailed report about the problems being faced by the Asara beneficiaries. The plight of the poor pensioners will be brought to the notice of the District Collector and SERP officials and very soon we will try to resolve the issue,” said Venkat Upender Reddy, Project director, District Rural Development Officer.