CHENNAI: Monthly pensions, including old-age pension, being provided by the Tamil Nadu government under various social security schemes will be hiked from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,200 from August. Over 30 lakh people will benefit from the move which would cost an additional expenditure of Rs 845.91 crore to the state exchequer.
The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister MK Stalin at the state secretariat in Chennai on Saturday.Briefing reporters, finance minister Thangam Thennarasu said 30,55,857 beneficiaries are receiving monthly pension under various schemes and 74,073 people have applied for pension under different schemes. Eligible new applicants will get pension immediately, he said.
At present, social security pensions are being given to senior citizens, differently-abled, widows, agricultural labourers, farmers, destitute/deserted wives, and unmarried, poor, incapacitated destitute women aged 50 and above. There is also a dedicated pension scheme being offered for Sri Lankan Tamils. The minister said monthly pension scheme was introduced in the state in 1962 with Rs 20 per month given as pension to beneficiaries.
Pension amount under different schemes were hiked from time to time and the pension for disabled was hiked from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 last January, he said. In a tweet, industries minister TRB Raja said the pension amount is being hiked after 12 years. Finance secretary T Udhayachandran said the centre is providing Rs 300 per month for those above 80 years and for the rest, Rs 200 per month. The rest of the amount is borne by the state government.
Asked about DMK’s electoral promise to hike pension under social security schemes to Rs 1,500 per month, Thennarasu said, “Pension amount has been hiked gradually from time to time. More hikes will happen in due course.” On the long-pending demand of government employees to revert to the old pension scheme, Thennarasu said the Union government has formed a committee led by union finance secretary TV Somanathan to review the pension scheme.
Andhra Pradesh government has also taken certain decisions in this regard. “The Tamil Nadu government is closely studying these developments to decide on a system that would be suitable for the state,” he said. Ousted AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam pointed to the DMK’s poll promise to increase pension to Rs 1,500 per month, and said the hike is too small as prices of all essential commodities have gone up.
Panneerselvam also said the DMK election manifesto said 32 lakh people would benefit from the hike and the policy note of social welfare department pegged the number at 34.62 lakh but the finance minister said only 30 lakh people would benefit from the hike. It is clear that the number of beneficiaries has come down by 4.5 lakh after the DMK government assumed office. AMMK general secretary TTV Dhinkaran also criticised the government for hiking the pension amount by just Rs 200.
CM will ensure safety of Tamils in Manipur
Earlier in the day there were speculations that Tamil Nadu will send a team led by a minister to Manipur to help the Tamils there. Asked whether Tamil Nadu government would take steps to ensure the safety of the Tamils living in Manipur, the minister said, “The CM will take necessary steps to ensure their safety.”