PUDUCHERRY: Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy has issued orders enhancing the pension for aged, widows, spinsters and destitute women and transgenders by Rs 500 to help them tide over the COVID pandemic situation.
At present, 1,54,847 beneficiaries are getting old age, widow, destitute women, unmarried women and transgender pension under the old age and destitute pension scheme in Puducherry. Due to enhancement of the pension by Rs 500 per month the government will incur an additional expenditure of Rs 7,74,23,500 per month (1,54,847 x Rs 500).
It was one of the electoral promises made by the All India NR Congress in its manifesto, which the Chief Minister has fulfilled immediately after assuming charge.
It may be recalled that the previous Congress government led by V Narayanasamy had also tried to enhance the old age and destitute pension, but its proposal did not get approval from the then Lt Governor Kiran Bedi and hence could not be implemented.
The former Welfare Minister in the Narayanasamy cabinet, M Kandasamy, had sat on a dharna inside the legislative assembly complex demanding approval to this proposal as well as 14 other proposals including enhancement of marriage assistance, housing subsidy for Adi Dravida people and others. But the dharna did not yield results as Bedi did not budge.
The beneficiaries who remained expectant of a hike in old age pension and destitute pension are now however a happy lot.