Drastic drop in Cheyutha pensioners, reasons aplenty

Sources attribute deaths, migration and govt’s reluctance to clear new applications to decrease in numbers
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HYDERABAD: IT is a curious case of declining numbers. Though the population keeps growing, there is a considerable drop in the number of Cheyutha (formerly Aasara) pension beneficiaries in Telangana.

The state now has 60,000 less Aasara pensioners compared to the last financial year. According to sources, the reasons for this decreased number are aplenty and they include deaths and migration of people from place to another.

The other major factor is the government’s reluctance to grant pensions to new beneficiaries. This is despite the fact that the around 25 lakh Aasara pension applications are pending with the government.

According to sources, the number of Cheyutha pension beneficiaries has come down from around 43.3 lakhs in FY 2023-24 to around 42.7 lakhs in FY 2024-25.

Non-functional system

While the window or the system to accept applications and grant pensions to new beneficiaries remained non-functional from 2022 onwards, the only increase, which the officials can show, is when the benefits are transferred to spouses of deceased beneficiaries.

According to sources, around 16,000 such pension transfers were made, and a few were added on humanitarian grounds, in the last one year. But this did not change of the total number of Aasara beneficiaries nor did cost anything to the state exchequer.

Speaking to TNIE, Vikalangula Hakkula Jathiya Vedika general secretary M Adavaiah said: “When N Chandrababu Naidu was the chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh, the government used to add new beneficiary only in the event of death of a existing beneficiary. Now, the situation is more or less the same in granting the old age pensions.”

Deprived of benefits

“The differently abled persons are not being considered (for grant of pensions) though they are in possession of software for assessment of disabled for access, rehabilitation and empowerment (SADAREM) certificates,” he added.

He also said that around 25 lakh applications, which were received prior to 2022, are still pending with the government. It is pertinent to mention here that a number of applications received during the present government’s Praja Palana programmes are related to pensions.

The Cheyutha pension scheme is a social security programme that aims to protect the most vulnerable sections, including the elderly, differently abled, terminally ill patients diagnosed with HIV-AIDS, filaria patients, widows, single women, incapacitated weavers and toddy tappers who have lost their means of livelihood due to growing age and beedi workers. The state government provides monthly assistance of `4,000 to differently abled and `2,000 to other categories under this scheme.

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