Hyderabad: Telangana finance minister Harish Rao in the annual budget session for the fiscal year 2022-23 on Monday allocated Rs 11,728 crores to the Aasara Pension Scheme.
The government has increased the pension being given to the elderly, widows, AIDS patients, handloom workers and toddy tappers from Rs 200 to Rs 2,016 per month; pension to differently-abled was increased from Rs 500 to Rs 3,016 per month; pension to single women, beedi workers and filarial patients would be Rs 2,016 per month.
“It is no exaggeration to say that the golden age of welfare is ushered in by the TRS government. The government has reduced the age limit for Aasara pensions from 65 to 57. There was a delay in implementation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is decided that the reduced age limit will be made operational from the next financial year. For Aasara pensions, the government proposes an outlay of ₹11,728 crores,” said the minister.
Aasara Pension Scheme
Aasara Pension Scheme was launched by the Telangana government on November 8, 2014 in Kothur in Mahboobnagar district. The welfare scheme provides pensions to old people, widows, patients suffering from elephantiasis, AIDS, physically disabled persons, beedi workers and single women.
Earlier the age limit to apply was 65 years. But it was later changed to 57 in 2020 resulting in an increased number of beneficiaries.
In October 2019, the government had set up Aasara call centres under the supervision of Panchayat Raj and Rural Development minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao at Khairatabad through which those with grievances could dial the phone numbers and lodge their complaints. The phone numbers were set up for 10 districts. The minister said that it would expand to other districts soon.
The welfare scheme has not had a good run ever since its launch in 2014. Many reports of pensions not being given on time or no pension at all have surfaced in various media reports. Recently on February 28, 2022, around three hundred people protested about the uncoordinated handling of the welfare pension scheme. According to the protestors, many who are eligible for the scheme have been running from pillar to post but in vain.
