Rajasthan becomes first and only state to give Social Security Guarantee Rajasthan Minimum Guaranteed Income Bill- 2023 passed

Jaipur: Rajasthan Minimum Guaranteed Income Bill-2023 was passed in the state assembly on Thursday. This has been brought in to give guarantee to ensure 125 days employment to all families in rural and urban areas in the state, minimum pension of Rs 1000 every month to elderly people, specially-abled, widows or single women under social security pension schemes in the state and guarantee of 15% annual increase in these pensions. Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to bring such a bill from the social security point of view.

It is to be mentioned that Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in the 2023-24 budget announced to implement the Mahatma Gandhi Minimum Guaranteed Income Scheme in the coming year with a view to provide the right of social security to the needy people and families by making a law covering urban and rural employment guarantee along with all pension schemes sponsored by the state government.

With the implementation of this law, all families in the state will get an employment guarantee of 125 days along with elderly people, specially-abled, widows or single women will get a minimum pension of Rs 1000 per month. Besides this, in rural areas, the families on completing 100 days in MGNREGS will now get 25 days of additional employment in the Mukhyamantri Grameen Rojgar Guarantee Yojana (Chief Minister Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme). While in urban areas, employment of 125 days per family will be given in the Indira Gandhi Shehari Rojgar Guarantee Yojana (Indira Gandhi Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme).

It is to be mentioned that the Central Government is giving a social security pension of Rs 200 to Rs 300 per month only, whereas all the beneficiaries of social security pension that is elderly people, specially-abled, widows and single women will be given a minimum pension of Rs 1000 per month by the state government. There used to be no increase in the social security pension for the last many years, but Shri Gehlot in 2019 after 6 years increased the pension amount. With this law, the base rate of the social security pension of Rs 1000 will automatically increase by 15% every year. This increase will be 5% in the month of July and 10% in the month of January