Telangana: Not much Aasara from Central government

The State government on Monday made it clear that central government would give only Rs 210 crore for the implementation of Aasara Pension scheme for beneficiaries of various categories. Panchayat Raj Minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao said that the state government was spending Rs 11,724.70 crore under the scheme and added that the share of the Centre in the total expenditure was just Rs 210 crore.

Rao said that the amount being given by the central government was enough to meet the expenditure of only 6 lakh beneficiaries of the state. Rao said that the state has a total of 39,36,521 pensioners. He revealed these figures while replying to questions raised by MLAs of the State during question hour in the ongoing budget session of State Assembly.

He said that the State has a total of 13,19,300 old age pensioners, 14,43,648 widow pensioners, 49,648 physically handicapped pensioners, 37,342 weaver pensioners, 62,942 toddy tappers, 28,582 HIV victims, 14,410 Malaria patients, 4,08,621 and 1,32,298 single women pensioners. Rao said that the State government was implementing the scheme for the benefit of the poor people of the State. He said that no other State of the country was implementing such a scheme. He said that the scheme was benefiting the poor people of the State a lot.

He reminded that the scheme was confined to only few sections of the State in the undivided AP state and added that they were now giving the pensions to single women as well. Commenting on the issue of the reduction of age limit for old age pensions to 57 years as per their poll promise, he said that they could not do so due to the spread of Covid-19 pandemic and added that they would soon declare guidelines to implement it. He said that it was CM KCR who had honoured the disabled and single Women of the state.