Pension for over 3,000 old folk artists delayed

Mumbai, Aug 29: Over 3,000 aged and retired folk artists in Maharashtra, newly selected for the pension scheme of the state cultural department, will have to wait longer for getting the money in hand because of a bureaucratic lapse.

As many as 3,511 folk artists were recently added to the list of beneficiaries. However, the department delayed the forwarding of proposal of Rs 6.42 crore -- an additional provision -- to the state finance ministry for inclusion in the supplementary demands during the Assembly session last month.

An official of the cultural department said the last date for submission was June 22. It was submitted online at 3.38 pm on the same day, but the finance department rejected it. At present, 21,819 artists get honorarium/pension from the state. The pension, in different categories, is Rs 2,100, Rs 1,800 and Rs 1,500 per month.

In 2015-16, provision of Rs 41.73 crore had been made for the scheme. The same was Rs 36.11 crore in the preceding year. Meanwhile, the system to transfer the pension directly into beneficiary's account was in the final stage of development, said the official.

PTI