HYDERABAD: After Rythu Bandhu, the maximum number of beneficiaries reaped benefits from Telangana's Aasara pension scheme after the BRS government reduced the beneficiaries' age limit from 65 to 57.
While 70.54 lakh farmers receive Rythu Bandhu twice a year, 44.54 lakh people receive Aasara pensions each month. The government spends Rs 15,000 crore each year on Rythu Bandhu and Rs 12,000 crore on Aasara pensions annually. They together received Rs 52,358 crore in the last eight years since the BRS government launched Aasara pensions in 2014. Telangana not only holds the record of giving the highest pension of Rs 2,016 and Rs 3,016 each month for different categories, but it is also the only state that extends pensions to 10 categories of beneficiaries.
The 'Aasara' pension scheme is designed to protect the most vulnerable sections of society, particularly the elderly and infirm, people living with HIV/AIDS, widows, incapacitated weavers, and toddy tappers who have lost their means of livelihood as they grow older, in order to support their day-to-day minimum needs required to live a life of dignity and social security.
The government enhanced the monthly pension for the elderly, widows, weavers, toddy tappers, and AIDS patients from Rs 200 to Rs 1000, and for disabled people from Rs 500 to Rs 1,500. From 2020 to 2021, the government further enhanced the pension amount to Rs 2,016 for senior citizens, widows, beedi workers, filaria victims, single women, handloom weavers, toddy tappers, and AIDS victims, and `3,016 for disabled pensioners.
