Punjab Govt doubles social security pension to Rs 1,500

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 6

Decks have been cleared to increase social security monthly pension from Rs 750 to Rs 1,500 from July 1 with the issuance of a notification by the Social Security, Women and Child Development Department.

Social Security Minister Aruna Chaudhary said: “The notification has paved way for doubling the pension for old age, handicapped persons, widows and destitute women, besides dependent children.” With a view to doubling the monthly pension from Rs 750 to Rs 1,500, a budgetary outlay of Rs.4,000 crore had been allocated during 2021-22, signifying an increase of 72 per cent from 2020-21 budgetary expenditure of Rs 2,320 crore.

Meanwhile, the social security pensions amounting to Rs 2,089 crore were disbursed in 2019-20 and Rs 2,277 crore in 2020-21, which is three-fold of what was provided by the previous SAD-BJP government in 2016-17 (Rs 747 crore). A total of 25.55 lakh beneficiaries, including 13 lakh from the Scheduled Caste category, have been given pension during 2020-21.