As a new year gift to women, CM Kiran Kumar Reddy on Wednesday sanctioned enrolment of nine lakh more women under the Abhaya Hastam pension scheme.
The government will bear the resultant additional expenditure of Rs 40 crore a year. The government is already extending benefits to about 40 lakh women members under this scheme by spending Rs 330 crore per annum. Around 5.24 lakh women are being given Rs 500 as monthly pension under scheme. After the scheme was brought under green channel, there is a huge demand from the public.