Chhattisgarh amends eligibility criteria for pension schemes

Raipur, June 30: The Chhattisgarh state government has amended the eligibility criteria of two monthly pension schemes catering to about 8 lakh beneficiaries in the state, Social Welfare Department officials said here today.

The eligibility criteria for the Social Security Pension Scheme and Sukhad Sahara Pension Scheme under which 7.93 lakh people get monthly pension has been amended, an official statement said. A total of 16.53 lakh needy people benefit from monthly pension under five separate pension schemes run by the state government.

Monthly pension is received by 6.87 lakh people under the National Old Age Pension Scheme, Social Security Pension Scheme (5.38 lakh people), Sukhad Sahara Yojana (2.55 lakh women) and National Widow Pension Scheme (1.35 lakh women), while the National Disability Pension Scheme benefits 1.38 lakh people, it said.

However, the state government has made some amendments in eligibility criteria for beneficiaries under the Social Security Pension Scheme and the Sukhad Sahara Pension Scheme.

Under the Social Security Pension Scheme, destitute senior citizens of 60 years or above, destitute widows or abandoned women above 50 years, destitute school students or disabled children aged between six and 14 years from below poverty line families and destitute disabled people aged above 14 years as well as dwarfs are presently given a monthly pension of Rs 300 each.

After the latest amendments, disable children from below poverty line families aged between six and 17 years will benefit, but disabled children of such families in the age group four to 16 years, who are not studying, will not get its benefits. Disabled people from below poverty line families of aged 18 years or above as well as dwarfs from below poverty line families will continue to get monthly pension benefits.

Similarly, under the Sukhad Sahara Scheme, destitute widows and abandoned women between the ages of 18 to 50 were getting benefits so far.

After the amendment, widows from below poverty line families aged between 18 years and 39 years as well as abandoned women aged 18 years or above from below poverty line families will get its benefits, the release said.

PTI