Assam: Hailakandi administration steps up old age pension drive
15,000-20,000 people in every constituency are expected to benefit from the pension scheme.
Hailakandi
The Hailakandi district administration is on a drive for inclusion of left out beneficiaries under the Swahid Kushal Konwar Sarbajanin Briddha Pension Achoni.
Chief Executive Officer, Hailakandi Zilla Parishad, NKSK Singha said drive is on in the entire district spread across 62 gaon panchayats for inclusion of the eligible beneficiaries who are above 60 years.
Singha said necessary instructions have been given to the gaon panchayat secretaries and block development officers to step up the drive for attaining universal coverage in the district.
The CEO pointed out that persons who are government pensioners or receiving pension under any government scheme or their sons and daughters working in Grade I and Grade II posts in central/state governments, armed/paramilitary forces and with an income of Rs.2.50 lakh per annum are not eligible for the old age pension.
Singha appealed to the senior citizens who are eligible to come forward and avail the benefit of the scheme.
It may be mentioned that the monthly pension scheme was launched on October 2 last year by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, which entitles all senior citizens above 60 years to receive a monthly pension for Rs.250 per month through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to their bank accounts.
The scheme has been designed by the Government of Assam from its own resources with an annual financial involvement of Rs.400 crore.
The initiative by the Government of Assam is widely seen as the country’s first universal old age pension scheme.
State government officials claim that this scheme provides additional coverage to the existing Central government pension scheme – the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS), which covers senior citizens who are 60 years and above and live below the poverty line. All IGNOAPS beneficiaries aged between 60 and 79 receive a monthly pension of Rs 300 and those 80 years and above receive a monthly pension amount of Rs 500.
