Guntur: Beneficiaries upset over not receiving hike in pension

Guntur: The State government did not hike old-age pension and widow pension and pension paid to the single women for July 2020 to Rs 2,500 per month from Rs 2,250, as announced by the government due to fund crunch and disappointed 61.28 lakh pensioners getting pensions under the YSR Pension Kanuka in the State.

The district administration on Saturday distributed old pensions Rs 2,250 for the month of July 2020. Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy earlier announced that the government will hike pensions to Rs 2,500 per month from July 2020 and would pay hiked pension on August 1.

During the Praja Sankalpa Yatra, Jagan Mohan Reddy had promised to hike the pensions to Rs 3,000 per month. However, after he came to power, the Chief Minister announced that the government would hike pension by Rs 250 every year. Within four years, the government will hike the pension by Rs 1,000 and make it Rs 3,000 per month and keep up its election promise.

As the YSRCP government celebrates it first anniversary, the government would hike old-age pensions and widow pensions to Rs 2,500, he said. However, due to fall in revenue collections caused by Covid-19, the Finance Department seems to have stopped the hike in pensions this July.

An official from the Rural Development Department on the condition of anonymity said, "The government directed to sanction new pensions within a week from the date of receiving application.

Every district is sanctioning thousands of new pensions every month. The increase in number of beneficiaries is causing additional financial burden on the exchequer. Taking the current financial status of the State into consideration, the Finance Department has kept the recommendation of the government to hike pensions pending. The government is expected to make an announcement on pensions hike very soon," he said.

P V Kasi Rao, beneficiary of YSR Pension Kanuka Scheme, said,"I expected the government will hike pension and I will get Rs 2,500 per month from August 1. The government did not hike pension for July 2020. I got only Rs 2,250 as pension. I am awaiting pension hike to meet my expenditure," he said.