Aasara pension doubled

Hyderabad: The long wait for the nearly 40 lakh pensioners to get the hiked pension is coming to an end.

The Telangana state government on Tuesday announced that the revised pensions will be implemented from July 1. The benefit will be extended to all pensioners in nine categories.

The total number of old age pensioners in Telangana is 13.15 lakh, disabled (4.9 lakh), widows (14.43 lakh), weavers (37,000), toddy tappers (63,000), HIV patients (28,500), filarial patients (14,140), beedi workers (4.09 lakh) and 1.32 lakh single women would avail the benefit.

KCR announced to double the pensions from April 1 this year but could not be implemented in view of model code of conduct for the last six months due to Lok Sabha and local body elections in the state, according to Vikas Raj, Principal Secretary Rural Development and Panchayat Raj.

Barring disabled, the pension amount of all the beneficiaries has been increased to Rs 2,016 as against Rs 1,000 per month.

The benefit to be extended to the disabled will be Rs 3,016 from the present Rs 1,500, officials said that the total burden on the state exchequer will be doubled from Rs 5,000 crore after the enhancement of pension amount from 2019-20 financial year.

State Finance department has made necessary arrangements to disburse the pension benefit to all the identified on the first day of every month.

The Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP), the nodal agency of the state Rural Development department, will enforce the social security pension scheme which is called as Aasara pensions.

Enrolments will also be taken up soon to identify new beneficiaries in every village.