No revision of social security pension since 2016: Tewari

Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari today disclosed that the Chandigarh Administration had not revised the social welfare pensions since 2016, nor it had sent any proposal to the Centre for the same.

Tewari said he had raised the question in the Parliament about the number of beneficiaries of various welfare schemes and the time when these pensions had been revised. To his surprise, the MP said that BL Verma, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, revealed that the social security pensions, including old age pension, widow pension and persons with disability pension, in Chandigarh were revised in 2016, by the Department of Social Welfare Women and Child Development, Chandigarh. Similarly, the old age, widow and disability pension of the Chandigarh Building and Other Construction Worker Welfare Board under the Labour Department, UT, were revised in December 2017.

Tewari said, “What is shocking is that the Administration has not even sent any proposal for revising the social security pension in Chandigarh since 2016 for different categories of pensions of the most vulnerable sections of society to bring it on a par with Punjab and Haryana.”

During the ongoing session of the Lok Sabha, Tewari said he had asked about the total number of beneficiaries receiving social security pensions under various schemes for women, older persons and persons with disabilities in Chandigarh, the time when the pension amount was last revised, whether the Union Government had received any representation from the Administration for an increase in the pension amount, if so, the details thereof, and whether the Union Government had any plans to increase the pension.

In reply to the questions, the minister said the reply he got stated that 18,648 beneficiaries received old age pension, 11,836 widow pension and 5,992 persons with disability received it up to January 2025 under the Department of Social Welfare Women and Child Development Department.

Under the old age pension scheme, a beneficiary (in the age group of 60-79 years) gets Rs 1,200 per month, Rs 1,500 to beneficiary in the age group of 80 years and above; Rs 1,300 pension to a window and Rs 1,300 to a person with disability in Chandigarh.

In Haryana, all categories of beneficiaries get Rs 3,000 each. On the other hand, a beneficiary in Punjab gets Rs 1,700 old age pension (60-79 years), Rs 2,000 to 80 years and above; Rs 1,800 widow pension and Rs 1,800 disability pension.