Telangana High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the State government in a PIL petition questioning “not providing pension and insurance benefits to members of women self-help groups under Abhayahastam scheme”.
A bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Abhinand Kumar Shavili directed the government to explain its stand on the issues like ‘not returning premium amounts paid by members even after repealing the Act through which the groups were constituted. A social worker and political activist Poshala Indira, the petitioner, contended that not extending alternative pension, life insurance and social security schemes to lakhs of members of the group had put their lives at risk.
The petitioner wanted the court to instruct the government to pay the arrears or dues relating to pension or insurance to the members immediately. The government should also begin process of finalising details of all members of the groups to ensure they receive their respective monetary benefits.
The erstwhile undivided Andhra Pradesh State in 2009 launched Abhayahastam scheme providing insurance coverage to all eligible members of women self-help groups by issuing GO Ms. No. 160. The scheme had provisions for payment of scholarship to children of the groups’ members along with insurance coverage.
Telangana State government adopted the said Act through GO 45 in 2016. However, the government stopped paying its share of contribution from 2014-15. It also stopped collecting contribution from the members.
According to the petitioner, women members had paid premium amounts to the tune of ₹ 282.38 crore till 2014-15. State contributed ₹ 254.98 crore as its share. The total amount with interest became ₹ 1,075.24 crore till date. The amount is with the Society for Eradication of Rural Poverty (SERP).
The bench granted six weeks of time for the government to file its affidavits.
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