Social security officers made to multitask

Archit Watts

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Tribune News Service

Muktsar, April 22

The district social security office here seems to have become a victim of the state government’s neglect.

In the past five years, no one has been deployed on independent charge of the District Social Security Officer (DSSO) here. Either some officer has been given the additional charge of Muktsar district along with one or more districts or a block-level officer has held the additional charge of this district-level post.

For instance, Harpal Singh held the additional charge of DSSO Muktsar from November 2012 to May 2014 along with Moga district.

Similarly, Naresh Kumar, District Programme Officer, was given the additional charge of DSSO Muktsar from August 2014 to July 2017.

Further, Paramjit Kaur, Child Development Project Officer (CDPO), Lambi, was given the additional charge of this district-level post from August 2017 to February 2018.

Presently, Gulberg Lal has got the additional charge of DSSO Muktsar. Interestingly, till the end of March, he was holding four more charges, which included the DSSO of Moga and Ludhiana district.

Besides, he held the charge of incharge of two other institutes run by the Social Welfare Department in Ludhiana.

As a result, the day-to-day functioning of the department is reportedly getting affected. A large number of people daily throng the office regarding their queries about the delay in pension and their names being deleted from the lists, but they have to return without meeting the DSSO.

Gulberg Lal, DSSO, Muktsar, said, “Wherever the department posts us, we go and perform our duty. I can’t comment on the additional charge or shortage of staff in the department.”

Meanwhile, sources in the department said that the situation was the same in other districts as well. The charge of Kapurthala and Jalandhar districts has also been given to one officer, they said. Similarly, a CDPO has been given the additional charge of DSSO Faridkot, they claimed. Further, the charge of DSSO Sangrur and Fatehgarh Sahib districts has also been given to one officer, they informed.

The social security office mainly deals with disbursing pensions among the elderly, widows, destitute children and disabled persons.