category Regional, chandigarh, , tags Regional, chandigarh, , DW BUREAU chandigarh Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal said that his government has ensured that people get all the scheme benefits while sitting at home only, thus giving them a major relief from making numerous rounds of the government offices to submit applications and other documents. He said that to realize this e-governance vision, Parivar Pehchan Patra has emerged as the most crucial document. In May 2022, the government linked the elderly pension with PPP, and since then, the pension of approximately 1.40 lakh elderly has been started automatically. Currently, around 18,52,085 senior citizens are being provided with a sum of approximately Rs. 506.50 crores monthly in the state, shared the Chief Minister while interacting with the beneficiaries receiving old age pension automatically via audio conferencing under the CM ki Vishesh Charcha. Manohar Lal said that the state government has increased the income limit for old age pension to Rs. 3 lakh annually from Rs. 2 lakh to extend its benefit to more elderly individuals. In the future, once a person reaches the age of 60 and the combined income of a couple becomes Rs. 3 lakh annually, their pension will begin automatically, subject only to the eligible person s consent. The government has increased the pension from Rs 2,500 monthly to Rs 2,750 since April 1, 2023, and now, from January 1, 2024, it has been further increased to Rs 3,000. He said that apart from the elderly pension, the government also provides pension benefits to widows, individuals suffering from serious illnesses, and persons with disabilities. Furthermore, the government has now initiated the provision of a monthly pension for widowers after the age of 40 and unmarried men between the ages of 45 and 60. In this way, a total of 30 lakh people in the state are being given the benefit of a monthly pension. As a result, a significant part of the budget will be spent on pension facilities starting from January 2024, said Manohar Lal. The Chief Minister shared that previously, the process of getting the elderly pension was quite complex and somewhat biased due to excessive human intervention. It involved obtaining certification from the Sarpanch and making requests to officers of the Department of Social Welfare. In that system, even ineligible individuals were successful in receiving the elderly pension while deserving ones remained excluded. Understanding the plight of the elderly, we have eliminated biased systems by using technology. It is because of the PPP that now citizens do not have to visit offices, make requests, or submit documents to obtain the elderly pension. This way, they are relieved from the burden of offices, applications, and documents, said Sh. Manohar Lal. The Chief Minister announced that the state government has created a new plan for the elderly. It was announced in the budget of this fiscal year to launch a Prahari scheme for seniors over 80 years old. (editor dailyworld.in)