The expenditure on social security pension has been enhanced upto Rs 1037 crore in 2021 which was Rs 436 crore in 2017.
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The Himachal Pradesh government has enhanced the budget for the social security pension from Rs 436 crore in 2017 to Rs 1037 crore in 2021, a government official said on Sunday.
The official said the government is giving utmost priority to the upliftment of senior citizens, women and specially abled persons in the state. Under the various initiatives of the state government towards welfare of this section of the society, the government laid special emphasis on expansion of social security schemes.
The expenditure on social security pension has been enhanced upto Rs 1037 crore in 2021 which was Rs 436 crore in 2017.
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The state government reduced the age limit of the old age pension scheme without any income limit from 80 years to 70 years. The age limit for availing the old age pension for women, has also been lowered to 65 years. These decisions of the government have benefited several senior citizens of the state, he added.
He stated that the present state government has sanctioned 1,95,003 new applications under Social Security Pension, providing economic and social security to the people of the state.
The state government has also enhanced the pension for persons within the age of 60 years to 69 years from Rs 700 to Rs 850 per month while the pension of senior citizens who are 70 years old or above has been increased from Rs 1250 to Rs 1500.
As many as three lakh seven thousand senior citizens of 70 years and above are benefiting from this scheme.
Besides, senior citizens, widows, single women, destitute women, leprosy patients, specially-abled and transgender have also been included under Social Security Pension.
Presently, the government was providing Social Security Pension to 6.35 lakh persons. About four lakh 15 thousand 993 senior citizens, one lakh 25 thousand 343 widows, single women, destitute women, one thousand 482 leprosy patients and approximately 150 transgenders are being covered under the social security scheme, the official added.
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