Vijayawada: The government of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is offering an increase in social security pension under the YSR Pension Kanuka, as a New Year bonanza from January 1 to 66.34 lakh beneficiaries in AP. They would be receiving Rs 3,000 per month from now on.
The state government and Jagan Reddy himself are sending letters to every beneficiary, informing them of the hike in pension.
In his letter, the chief minister expressed gratitude for the support and blessings of the people, emphasizing his government's commitment to the welfare of its citizens.
He asked MLAs, volunteers, enthusiasts and other people’s representatives to participate in the 8-day Pension Kanuka programme from Jan 1 in every mandal and hand over his personal letter. “I would join the programme in Kakinada on Jan 3,” he said.
Deputy chief minister Budi Mutyala Naidu said the Jagan government “provided financial assistance to the elderly, single women, widows, the disabled, weavers, toddy tappers, fishermen, traditional cobblers, and AIDS patients, with love and care, like a grandson to his grandparents, a brother to his siblings, and a helping hand to the needy.”
He said this was the only government providing a pension of Rs 3,000 per month to as high as 66.34 lakh people in a state. Village/ Ward Secretariats, Volunteers were distributing pensions at the doorstep on the first of every month, even if it was a Sunday or a holiday. “This is unique,” he said.
DCM Mutyala Naidu said that under the Telugu Desam government, the pension amount for the elderly, widows and single women pension category was only 1,000 per month until two months before the elections.
“However, the Jagan government increased the pension amount for each beneficiary to Rs. 3,000, starting at Rs 2,250 per month. The annual expenditure on 66.34 lakh pensions from Jan 1, 2024, will be Rs 23,556 crore. The total benefit provided through pensions by the Jagan government since it came to power is over Rs 83,526 crore.”
He said that during the TD government, the number of pensions provided until six months before the elections was only 39 lakh, which increased to 66.34 lakh.
“In the last 55 months, 29,51,760 new pensions have been sanctioned by the Jagan government. The average monthly expenditure of the government on pensions alone is Rs 1,968 crores per month against only Rs 400 crore per month during the TD term.”
He alleged that, during TD government, senior citizens and the differently abled were forced to wait in serpentine queues for hours and days together to get the pension, the scheme was riddled with corruption, and there were deliberate attempts to reduce the number of beneficiaries.
“The Jagan government is providing pensions to all beneficiaries without any bias. The total amount received by a beneficiary (in the categories of old age, widow, or single women's pension) in the last 55 months was Rs 1,47,500, a whopping Rs 89,500 more than what each of them received in the past. The disability pension beneficiary received Rs 1,82,000, which is Rs 1,23,500 more than what was received in the TD rule,” he claimed.
