THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a bid to weed out ineligible persons from drawing widow pension, the Finance Department has come out with a circular. As per the set Finance Dept issues circular about widow pension of instructions issued to local bodies, other than windows, only those women who lost touch with her husband for more than seven years should be sanctioned widow pension.
Their inclusion should be based on the widow certificate issued by the Revenue authorities. In the case of those who had legally separated, they will be considered ineligible for the pension. The local bodies while sanctioning pension to the eligible candidates should take care while uploading the details of the widow’s husband also. The Finance Department reminds the local bodies the inclusion of ineligible people will result in the drain on the exchequer and it should be avoided.