HYDERABAD: The State government will implement Aasara, social security pension, to all the eligible persons above the age of 57 from April 1 onwards. This is an election assurance given by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao directed Chief Secretary SK Joshi on Wednesday to identify the eligible persons and prepare an action plan for the implementation of the revised Aasara pension.
“I will hold a video conference with district Collectors on Thursday and issue directions to them on selecting the beneficiaries. The base is voters’ list for the selection. However, those eligible persons, who did not find their names in the voters’ list too will be considered. The draft list will be displayed in Grama Sabhas,” Joshi said on Wednesday.
The total number of voters in the State were 2,80,68,684. According to Joshi, the total Aadhaar cards holders in the State are 3,87,68,943. Of which, those above 18 years were 2,84,41,729. Those aged above 57 years were 41,60,305. Persons aged between 57 and 64 were 19,58,074. Against this, the existing Aasara pension holders were 39,26,503.
The government also announced doubling the pension amounts from next financial year. The Aasara pension will be hiked from the present Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,016 and the persons with disabilities would get Rs 3,016 against the existing Rs 1,500.