Priority being accorded to provide social security to weaker and backward sections of society

Social Security Pension of rupees one thousand being provided to eligible Senior Women under Swaran Jayanti Nari Sambal Yojana

The state government has accorded top priority to provide social security to the persons belonging to weaker and backward sections of the society. In this regard, the state government has taken several steps for economic and social upliftment of economically weaker sections of the society.

In its first decision, the state government has reduced the age limit of eligibility for social security pension from 80 years to 70 years without any income limit to bring maximum people of the state under social security, which shows the commitment of the Government for upliftment of backward and weaker sections. With this decision of the state government, in the last three years 1,63,607 people of the state have got direct benefit in the form of social security pension, which is one of the major achievements of the present state government.

Under the able leadership of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, the state government has been continuously striving for the upliftment of the weaker and backward sections during its three-year tenure. While the government has enhanced the social security pension from time to time, it has also provided social security to the weaker and backward classes by approving new cases for three consecutive years.

The present state government has sanctioned 1,63,607 new cases of social security pension during its last three-year tenure. Out of which, in the year 2018-19 about 97,139 new cases, in the year 2019-20, about 23,442 and 43,026 new cases of social security pension have been approved in the year 2020-21. The state government is currently providing social security pension to 5,77,604 eligible persons in the state.

The state government has enhanced social security pension being provided to widows and specially abled person from Rs 850 to Rs 1,000 per month with effect from April 1, 2020. The state government is providing a social security pension of Rs 1500 per month to eligible pensioners in the age group of 80 years and above and with more than 70 percent disabilities. The state government is spending about Rs. 862 crore on social security pension.

The state government has announced a budget provision of social security pension to additional 40 thousand beneficiaries from 1 April, 2021, for the year 2021-22, on which Rs 60 crore would be spent. With a view to provide social security pension to senior women, the government has also started the Swaran Jayanti Nari Sambal Yojana. Under this scheme, all eligible senior women from 65 years to 69 years of age would be provided social security pension of rupees one thousand per month without income limit, which would benefit about 60 thousand women of the state with an expenditure of Rs. 55 crore.