Question : Disbursement of Pension to Artists

(a) whether the Government proposes to ensure the timely disbursement of pension from the Artistes Pension Scheme and if so, the details of action taken thereon;

(b) whether the Government will address the grievances of artists eligible for pensions under the scheme regarding the inordinate delay in disbursement of pension and if so, the details thereof along with the details regarding the number of pensioners from Kerala under the scheme;

(c) whether the Government proposes to simplify the disbursement of pension and if so, the details thereof;

(d) whether the Government has conducted an enquiry regarding the delay in disbursement of pension and if so, the details thereof;

(e) the action taken by the Government to redress the grievances of the pensioners; and

(f) whether the Government proposes to process the application for pension in a time bound manner and if so, the details thereof?

MINISTER OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN REGION

(SHRI G. KISHAN REDDY)

(a) The disbursement of pension under the Artists Pension Scheme depends upon submission of all the requisite documents by the beneficiaries selected under the Scheme. Once all the requisite documents are submitted by the beneficiaries, all efforts are made to disburse the pension expeditiously.

(b)&(e) The grievances, if any, received under the scheme are disposed off expeditiously to ensure that the beneficiaries do not face any problem regarding submission of requisite documents and thus enabling the Ministry to disburse pension in a timely manner. A dedicated helpline has also been provided for facilitating the beneficiaries in resolution of such problems. The amount of pension released to artists in Kerala during last three years as given below:-

(in Lakhs)

FY 2018-19 Nos. of Beneficiary Amount Disbursed FY 2019-20 Nos. of Beneficiary Amount Disbursed FY 2020-21 Nos. of Beneficiary Amount Disbursed
202 71.43 181 58.40 96 41.30

(c)&(d) It has been the constant endeavor of the Government to make continuous efforts to ensure timely disbursement of pension to the beneficiaries by simplifying the procedures as far as possible.
(f) The consideration of applications under the scheme depends upon various factors such as, scrutiny of applications for its completeness as per the provisions of the scheme and their consideration by a duly constituted Expert Committee. All efforts are made to complete these processes timely and to ensure that the applications received under the scheme are processed expeditiously.