Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Aug 20: In a major festive bonanza for lacs of social security beneficiaries on the occasion of Varamahalakshmi, the Karnataka government has significantly increased the annual family income limit for availing pensions.
Taking to social media, revenue minister and deputy chief minister Dr G Parameshwara stated that the previous income cap of Rs 32,000 had deprived hundreds of thousands of eligible people of the benefits. By increasing this limit to Rs 1.20 lac, the government has resolved a long-standing issue faced by the public.
Previously, the annual family income limit to qualify for various social security schemes was a mere Rs 32,000, which meant even daily wage earners and poor families were excluded from the benefits. Considering the current cost of living and inflation, the revenue department has revised this cap to Rs 1,20,000.
Following a recent review, the revenue department has issued strict directives to immediately resume the pensions of eligible beneficiaries whose annual income falls between Rs 32,000 and Rs 1,20,000.
Over the past few months, the monthly pensions of lacs of beneficiaries across the state were temporarily withheld citing inadequate documents or for exceeding the previous income limit. This had caused severe hardship to the elderly, widows, and the disabled. Various organisations and the public had strongly protested, arguing that the Rs 32,000 limit was highly unscientific in an era where even a daily wage labourer earns between Rs 1.5 lac to Rs 2 lac annually. Responding to these concerns, the government’s decision has brought significant relief to the poor and middle-class sections.
The revision will directly benefit recipients of major state government social security programmes, including the Sandhya Suraksha Yojana (for senior citizens), widow pension scheme, disabled pension scheme, and the Manaswini and Maitri schemes.
With this order, eligible beneficiaries whose pensions were previously stopped due to income certificate issues will now receive their monthly pension amounts credited directly to their bank accounts without any further hurdles.