Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Monday transferred Rs 280 crore as social security pension to 6,35,375 beneficiaries of the state as their three month social security pension.

He was presiding over the State level function of Social Security Pension disbursal to the beneficiaries of Social Justice and Empowerment department at Shahpur in Kangra district and also personally disbursed pension to 75 beneficiaries to mark the 75 years of existence of Himachal.

Thakur said the enhanced social security pensions to the eligible sections of the society for the month of April, May and June have been directly transferred in their accounts. Now all the beneficiaries of the social security pension would get their three pensions directly in their accounts four times a year.

The very first decision of the state government was aimed at the welfare of the senior citizens and in the budget for the current financial year, the age limit for old age pension irrespective of income limit has been reduced to 60 years for all, he added.

He stated that all such pensioners who were currently getting a pension of Rs 850 per month, will now get Rs 1,000 per month whereas such pensioners who were currently getting a pension of Rs 1,000 per month, would now get Rs 1,150 per month and all such pensioners who were currently getting a pension of Rs 1,500 per month, will now get Rs 1,700 per month. Women in the age group 60 to 65 years would also be entitled to get an old age pension without any income limit. An amount of Rs 1,300 crore would be spent on this account and in the last four years, an amount of Rs 3,052 crore has been spent by the state government for providing social security pension to the needy during the last about four years which was a record in itself, the CM said.

He further stated that Jan Manch has been proving a boon to the people of the state in redressal of their grievances and besides, free gas connections have been provided to 1.36 lakh families by spending an amount of Rs 21.81 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, an ambitious scheme launched by the Centre government.

3.25 lakh women have been provided free gas connections under Mukhya Mantri Grihini Suvidha Yojna started by the state government. Himachal was declared a smoke-free state in December, 2019 and has become the first state in the country to achieve this achievement, he added.