Bhubaneswar: Opposing the Centre's move to introduce direct benefit transfer (DBT) compliant system for disbursement of pensions under National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), the state government on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to impose the bank payment system in the interest of vulnerable beneficiaries.

"Any imposition of the system of bank payment will cause undue and unavoidable hardship to the vulnerable beneficiaries. I am sanguine you would appreciate the special circumstances of the state and not impose conditions on release of funds which may militate against the interest of the beneficiaries," said chief minister Naveen Patnaik in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent on Thursday.

Naveen referred to a letter from the economic advisor, department of rural development that stated that sanction of the second instalment of NSAP to the state was "conditional".

The chief minister said that the implementation of Centre's direction for direct benefit transfer to the bank account of the pension holders in Odisha was difficult in view of fragile nature of banking network and telecommunication prevailing in the state.

Rather, the "disbursal of cash on a fixed day (15th day of every month at gram panchayat and urban local body headquarters) serves the purpose of beneficiaries," he said.

Naveen clarified that NSAP guidelines clearly stated that disbursement of pension must be done according to the choice and convenience of the beneficiaries.

He said the state had conducted a study of the beneficiaries and found that pensioners are not willing to accept pension through banks and post offices.

The chief minister brought to the notice of the Prime Minister the fact that 4,376 gram panchayats in Odisha had no banking facilities. "Even the existing banks are unable to bear the burden of large number of pensioners due to acute staff shortage," he said.

"The RBI circular issued in regard to door delivery of banking services is well intentioned. But it needs to be enforced by proper staffing of the banks and special monitoring and supervision by the RBI," said the chief minister.

NHRC order

The National Human Rights Commission has ordered payment of Rs 3 lakh as compensation to a woman who was allegedly molested by a police officers two years ago in Sambalpur.

The victim was allegedly molested by Bhikari Charan Behera, an assistant sub-inspector of police at Gobindpur police station in July 2015.

The accused had outraged the modesty of the victim while carrying out the investigation of a criminal case pending against her spouse