Single women lose pension benefits following increase in the age limit to 50 years

Nellore: TDP came down heavily against the ruling party for increasing the pension benefit age to 50 years for single women as against 30 years in rural areas and 35 years in urban areas in the past.

TDP senior leader Ch. Venkateswara Reddy, while addressing media at Kovur on Saturday, said the pension scheme was introduced for supporting the single and divorced women for their livelihood.

However, the Jagan Mohan Reddy government increased the age limit to reduce the number of beneficiaries and the move would hit lakhs of women depending on the pension.

Meanwhile, TDP Nellore City unit President Dharmavarapu Subba Rao rebuked Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy for going back on his demand for special status for AP and prohibition of liquor.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, he reminded that Jagan had appealed to people to elect 25 MPs from his party to force the Centre to give special status but backtracked on the subject after people gave a thumping mandate.

Subba Rao advised the CM to make use of the presidential elections to bring pressure on the Centre to secure special status.