Odisha raises pensions for seniors and disabled to Rs 3,500

The Odisha government has decided to provide an enhanced pension of Rs 3,500 per month to beneficiaries aged 80 years and above and persons with more than 80 per cent disability from June this year, an official notification said.

As per the notification issued by the Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) Department, the government has sanctioned the enhanced pension under its social welfare schemes.

All beneficiaries of the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) and Madhu Babu Pension Scheme (MBPS) will now receive an increased monthly pension of Rs 3,500, an official said, adding that the previous emolument was Rs 1,500 per month.

The SSEPD Department on Tuesday directed all District Social Security Officers (DSSOs) to implement the enhanced pension from June based on the list of eligible beneficiaries provided by the sub-collectors.

The DSSOs have also been asked to sanction the revised pension amounts and forward the necessary orders to the department for further action. This increase will be effective retrospectively from January 2025, it added.

The enhanced pension was a promise made in the BJP manifesto and announced by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi during his maiden budget placed in the assembly in July 2024. An allocation of Rs 7,600 crore was made for the pension schemes.

Majhi had also distributed the enhanced pension to a select few at a state-level programme in Keonjhar district in January this year.