Hyderabad: The state government on Saturday launched the distribution of enhanced pensions under the Asara scheme. Ministers and public representatives distributed pensions to beneficiaries in all the districts in special programmes.
The government has announced that the pension was applicable for the month of June. The enhanced pensions were promised during the election campaign.
As per the government order Ms No. 34, issued by the panchayat raj and rural development department, the pension was incre-ased from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,016 for the aged, women whose husban-ds had died, weavers, single women, toddy tappers, persons suffering from HIV-AIDS, encephalitis, beedi workers,. The pension for the disabled has been enhanced from Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,016.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had during his campaign for the Assembly elections in December 2018 promised to increase the pension amounts and to reduce the age for old-age pension eligibility to 57 years.
The Cabinet on July 17 said the state would require Rs 12,000 crore to pay the enhanced pensions.
