Govt has money for CWG, not for pension : Malhotra

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Vijay Kumar Malhotra today said the Delhi Government has thousands of crores to spend on the Commonwealth Games but they have no money for the pension of senior citizens, widows and handicapped persons.

Criticising the Sheila Dikshit government for inordinate delay in the payment of pension, Prof Malhotra charged the former of making people run from pillar to post merely to submit their forms.

''Situation is so bad now that neither the Social Welfare Department nor any other authorised office is accepting their forms,'' he added. Earlier the SWD would release the pension funds within a month from the submission of forms by applicants but since the incumbent Chief Minister has been voted in for the third term, ''The government is delaying these payments under the pretext of making changes in the procedures,'' he alleged.

Asking the CM to simplify the process, Prof Malhotra urged her to direct the SWD to immediately release the pensions of those whose forms have already been recieved.