Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday announced that the monthly old age pension (for people aged between 60 and 79 years) has been hiked from Rs 400 to Rs 500.
He also said that camps will be organised across the state till January 30 to identify beneficiaries of old age, widow as well as ‘divyangjan’ (differently-abled) pensions.
“Aaj se lekar January 30 tak camp aayojit karne ja rahe hain, koi bhi nirashrit jan chhootne na paye (Camps will be organised from January 30 onwards to ensure that none of the destitute are left out),” said Adityanath.
A government spokesperson said that the hike would mean an additional burden of approximately Rs 600 crore on the exchequer. The spokesperson further said that the government has also set a target to identify at least 9 lakh new beneficiaries through these camps, and is hoping that with this, the total number of beneficiaries of these pension schemes would reach 70 lakh.
Asked whether there is a special scheme for priests as well, the spokesperson denied it and said that priests who fall within the age bracket can avail of the pension scheme.
