Thiruvananthapuram: Even though the state has taken a major pride about the steps in the social security sector, especially during the ongoing pandemic period, government data on physical achievement shows the opposite.
According to data on the state planning agency, only 9.62% of the total funds allocated for 22 social security schemes have been spent in the ongoing five months in the ongoing financial year.
In accordance with the data accessed by Toi, only RS 15.44 Crore from the total RS allocated 160.46 crore for 22 social security schemes carried out under the Mission of Social Security Kerala have been spent until the ongoing financial year.
Even worse, 10 schemes of 22 have not spent anything from allocated funds.
These include suraksha cancer funds for pediatric patients, Snehapoorvam (schemes to provide financial assistance to orphans living in a family, with their relatives, friends, or support from the community), Ashwasa Kiranam (assistance to caregivers lying in place sleep or mentally- or physical patient -Challenged), SNEHA Sparsham (Rehabilitation of unmarried mothers and their children), packages for endosulfan victims, Thalolam (free treatment to children under the age of 18, suffer from kidney disease, disease cardiovascular, palsy, brittle brain, hemophilia, thalassemia, crescent cell anemia, orthopedic defects and other neuro-developments, congenital anomalies and accident cases that require operations), care providers for prisoners from institutions under the Ministry of Justice Social, Funds for Central Intervention District Center, provide auxiliary solutions for people with disabilities among flood victims and to provide will be training, research and new initiatives.
For some schemes that have begun shopping, miniscule expenses.
For example, the Samashwasam scheme aimed at providing financial assistance to kidney patients below the poverty line, only RS 18 lakh spending (3.7%) from RS 5 Crore was allocated for the ongoing financial year.
The highest expenditure among the social security schemes is for free hunger city programs, which are only very small rs 50 lakh has been prepared, from the 42 lakh Rs have been spent.
The highest allocation among all 22 schemes is for the Kiranam Ashwasa scheme which RS 40 Crore has been allocated, but no one has been spent until the date.
Oppo leader V D Sathean said that such a lukewarm approach by the government towards the social security scheme especially during the pandemic period cannot be justified.
“The funds allocated, but not spent will mean that there is a serious hose in monitoring the scheme.
This is during testing times such as Covid-19 that social security scheme becomes increasingly important.
For example, some petitions seek intervention to get funds released under Ashwasa Kiranam, which will be a big relief to beneficiaries, “Satheani said.