Odisha Madhu Babu Pension Yojana expansion, Digi Mart USA News (Odisha, India): Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday announced the expansion of the Madhu Babu Pension Yojana (MBPY), bringing an additional 5,05,817 beneficiaries under its coverage. He also launched the Unified Pension Management Portal (UPMP) to streamline applications, verification and monthly pension payments.
With the latest expansion, the number of beneficiaries aged above 60 years under the scheme has increased to 41,80,825. Each beneficiary will receive a monthly pension of ₹1,000.
Earlier, around 36.75 lakh people were covered under the scheme. The expansion will involve an additional annual expenditure of ₹625 crore, Majhi said.
The announcements were made at a state-level function in Baleshwar attended by Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, Baleshwar MP Pratap Sarangi, ministers and MLAs from northern Odisha.
The Chief Minister said the new portal would simplify the application process, improve verification and ensure timely disbursement of pensions. Newly enrolled beneficiaries will receive their pending dues from October onwards.
Special pension distribution programmes will be organised at the district level on November 11 and 12, followed by block-level programmes. Those unable to collect their pensions during these programmes will receive the amount in cash at their respective gram panchayat or urban ward offices on November 15.
Majhi announced that all existing and newly enrolled beneficiaries would receive their pensions regularly on the 15th of every month from December. He also said people attaining 80 years of age would be eligible for an enhanced monthly pension of ₹3,500 without having to submit a fresh application.
Addressing delays in pension payments under the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), the Chief Minister said the government was working to clear pending cases. The affected beneficiaries include those covered under the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Yojana, Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Yojana and Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Yojana.
According to Majhi, e-KYC-related problems had delayed payments to several beneficiaries. Of the 20,35,959 people covered under the central pension schemes, issues concerning around 19 lakh beneficiaries had been resolved.
The remaining 1.30 lakh cases would be addressed within a month, he said.
The state government has also introduced a revised payment arrangement for NSAP beneficiaries. Under this system, the state’s share of the pension will be distributed in cash, while the Centre’s contribution will be credited directly to beneficiaries’ bank accounts after they receive their dues.
Majhi said the state’s contribution for November 2026 onwards would be distributed in cash. Pending state contributions for October and November would be paid on November 15, with regular monthly disbursements scheduled for the 15th of every month from December.
The Chief Minister criticised the previous BJD government over the quota-based system for enrolling old-age pension beneficiaries, alleging that it had prevented many eligible people from receiving timely assistance. Under the earlier arrangement, each gram panchayat had a fixed quota of pension beneficiaries, and new applicants had to wait for an existing beneficiary to die before a vacancy became available.
Calling the system inhuman, Majhi said no eligible person would now have to wait for a vacancy to receive pension benefits. Anyone attaining 60 years of age could apply for enrolment under the MBPY, he said.
He described the expansion and changes in the pension delivery system as major steps towards ensuring that senior citizens, widows, persons with disabilities and economically vulnerable people received government assistance without unnecessary delays.
