Pension remarks supposed to indicate govt’s delay in cost, big arrears: Venugopal

He alleged that whereas the federal government has sufficient funds to deal with “PR work” for itself and chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, it’s unable to pay pension arrears on time or improve the honorarium of Accredited Social Well being Activist (ASHA) employees.

Venugopal’s clarification got here a day after the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala slammed him over his alleged remarks that the welfare pension given by the federal government was an ‘election bribe’.

The Left social gathering had termed his alleged remarks as baseless” and claimed that it was supposed to mislead the general public.

It additionally mentioned that the Left authorities has been paying Rs 1,600 as welfare pension to round 62 lakh beneficiaries because it got here to energy in 2016.

On Wednesday, whereas talking to reporters, Venugopal claimed that the quantity of Rs 1,600 being given by the federal government was finished by combining a number of different pensions within the title of pension revision.

He additionally claimed that there have been big arrears in funds to be given to the assorted employees’ welfare boards within the state.

The Congress chief mentioned his intention was to level to the large arrears of pension and the way they’re partially cleared near the polls, however he by no means meant that the beneficiaries will not be eligible for it.

“The beneficiaries are eligible for it. They need to get it. They should get it on time,” he added.

In addition to Govindan, state ministers Ok.N. Balagopal and V. Sivankutty too had criticised Venugopal over his alleged remarks and so they had demanded that he and his social gathering apologise for it.

Venugopal’s alleged remarks got here throughout a speech as a part of the continuing by-poll marketing campaign in Nilambur.