Chief Minister will launch the State Elderly Pension Scheme on Wednesday. Under this scheme, pensions will be provided to women aged 50 to 60 and men from the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) categories.
In a program held at the Tana Bhagat Stadium in Khelgaon,Ranchi, Chief Minister Chmapai Soren will inaugurate the scheme by transferring funds to the beneficiaries’ accounts. A total of 1,58,218 beneficiaries in this age group will receive a distribution of Rs. 31.6 crores as pension for February and March 2024.
Manoj Kumar, Secretary of the Department of Women and Child Development, along with Director Shashi Prakash Jha, stated on Tuesday that a campaign had been launched to provide benefits under this scheme. Out of a total of 5,68,821 applications received, approvals were granted to 2,22,523 beneficiaries by March 5th. Previously, only citizens over 60 years of age were eligible for a monthly pension of Rs. 1,000.
Now, it has been decided to extend pension benefits to all women and men from the SC and ST categories starting from the age of 50. According to officials, the number of beneficiaries increased from 6,60,870 at the time of government formation to 26,73,958 after the implementation of the Universal Pension Scheme on November 18, 2021. The goal now is to provide pension benefits to all citizens in the specified age group.
In addition,CM will also kick off the Widow Remarriage Incentive Scheme on Wednesday. Seven women have been selected so far to receive incentives under this scheme, with each receiving Rs. 2 lakhs as encouragement. These women hail from Hazaribagh, Palamu, Saraikela Kharsawan, Lohardaga, and East Singhbhum. According to the Secretary, applying within a year of marriage is mandatory under this scheme, along with compulsory registration of the marriage.
Furthermore, the state government has decided to provide special incentives to Anganwadi workers and helpers, in addition to their regular honorarium. As part of this, workers will receive Rs. 5,000 and helpers will receive Rs. 2,500 as incentives. They will receive these benefits during the program held on Wednesday. Additionally, the Chief Minister will launch a portal for the implementation of the Savitribai Phule Scheme on this occasion.
