The government has made a big announcement for the common people. Hemant Soren government of Jharkhand has given a gift to the residents of the state by reducing the age of pension eligibility by 10 years from 60 years. This means that now residents of Jharkhand above 50 years of age can avail the benefit of government pension.
Hemant Soren further said that his government will also reserve 75 percent jobs in state companies. The Hemant Soren government, which came to power in December 2019, has introduced pension for different categories of people, due to which the number of pensioners has increased by 200 percent. The state is giving pension to people in five categories and has spent Rs 2,400 crore in this financial year.
Who will get the benefit of pension?
Hemant Soren government has said that to avail the benefit of old age pension, it is necessary to be a resident of Jharkhand. Also, that person does not fall in the tax paying category. Apart from this, to avail the benefit of this pension, he should not be availing any other pension. He will be eligible for pension only after fulfilling all these conditions.
How many people got pension?
Under the Old Age Pension Scheme, pension was paid to 14.25 lakh beneficiaries till March 2023, which was more than 3.45 lakh till December 31, 2019. In particular, the number of vulnerable tribal group pension beneficiaries increased from 52,336 to 70,577, while destitute women pension beneficiaries increased from 1.72 to 3.79 lakh. The number of HIV AIDS patient beneficiaries increased from 3375 to 5778, while the number of disability pension beneficiaries increased from 87,796 to 2.44 lakh.
How much was spent?
According to the CAG report, the state government has collected Rs 69,722 crore from central assistance. 40 percent of this revenue has been spent on salaries, allowances, pensions and interest payments on loans for development schemes. In the financial year 2021-2022, the state government spent Rs 13,979 crore on salary allowances, Rs 7614 crore on pension payments and Rs 6,286 crore on interest payments.
