The State Government has started the process for identification of beneficiaries eligible to receive old-age pension after reducing the qualifying age from 65 to 57 years.
The government has extended the last date for submission of applications by eligible beneficiaries till October 30. Chief Minster K. Chandrasekhar Rao announced in July that the Aasara old-age pension scheme would be applicable to beneficiaries from the age of 57 and they would receive their pensions from August payable in September.
Reduction of age limit under Aasara scheme was one of the promises of the TRS ahead of the 2018 elections and it was subsequently approved by the State Cabinet. Implementation of the promise took time and the Government set August 31 deadline for receiving applications. The deadline had however been extended till the month-end to enable all eligible beneficiaries to avail of the scheme.
Beneficiaries could submit their applications through e-Seva and Mee Seva centres and the District Collectors had been directed to receive the applications. The government had allocated over ₹11,700 crore for Aasara pension in the current budget and the reduction of age limit to 57 was expected to bring 10 lakh more people under the pension scheme.
