Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 8 (IANS): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced that his government would distribute an amount of Rs 1,481.87 crore as social welfare pension to the poor, ahead of the state's biggest festival, Onam which falls on August 20.

Vijayan, in a social media post, said that the measure would directly benefit 48 lakh poor people of the state who are entitled to the pension. The pension for the month of July and August would add up to Rs 3,200 and the government would credit it to their bank accounts or it would be directly delivered at the doorsteps of the beneficiaries through the local cooperative banks.

Distribution to all the 48, 52,098 beneficiaries is expected to be completed before August 10, he said.

The social welfare pension and free food kits, through local ration shops, to all categories of people after the pandemic struck, had led to a high popularity for the Chief Minister and the Left Democratic Front in Kerala and is seen as one of the major reasons for its return to power in the 2021 Assembly elections.

Speaking to IANS, CPI-M's acting state Secretary A. Vijayaraghavan noted: "It is clear that the government's focus is towards the poor and downtrodden and even amidst heavy financial crisis, the government had not shied away from providing the pension promptly to the people of the state. The Chief Minister's announcement that the pension would be distributed to all the 48 lakh beneficiaries before August 10 shows how much focused the government is to bring succour and joy to the lives of people who deserve it."