K Chandrasekar Rao's TRS fulfils electoral promise, Telangana doubles social security pension for senior citizens and widows

Hyderabad: The Telangana government on Wednesday decided to double the social security pension provided to various sections, including senior citizens, widows, persons with disabilities and beedi workers, fulfilling an electoral promise of ruling TRS. The decision taken at a meeting of the state cabinet on Wednesday night would cost the exchequer Rs 12,000 crore annually, out of which the state government would bear Rs 11,800 crore. The Centre’s share is Rs 200 crore, an official release said. [caption id=“attachment_1665093” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao. PTI[/caption] The Rs 1,000 pension being given to senior citizens, widows, single women, those suffering from AIDS and others has been raised to Rs 2,016, the release said. The pension amount of Rs 1,500 given to ‘Divyangas’ and artists who are senior citizens has been raised to Rs 3,016. The “proceedings of increased pension” (relevant documents) would be handed over to the beneficiaries in assembly constituency-wise events to be organised on 20 July and the amount deposited in bank accounts later. State ministers, MLAs, MPs, MLCs and others would attend these events, the release said. Increase in the pension amount was a promise made by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi in the December 2018 assembly elections which the party had swept. The cabinet has also decided to implement another election promise of TRS - reducing the eligible age limit for senior citizens’ pension from 65 years to 57, it said. The cabinet has asked officials to prepare the list of eligible beneficiaries. In another decision, the cabinet has decided to remove cut-off date for beedi workers vis-a-vis pensions and provide the benefit to those having provident fund accounts up to 17 July, it said. The Cabinet also gave its approval to the draft bill of proposed new Municipal Act, the release said. A special session of the assembly would be held on 18 and 19 July to pass the legislation aimed at addressing problems faced by the citizens in urban areas and making the department corruption-free. The chief minister would introduce the bill in both the Assembly and the Council, the release added.