1 hr ago

West Bengal Raises Widow Pensions, Replaces Old Waiting List

West Bengal announced that widows will receive Rs 1,500 each month instead of Rs 1,000.

The government cancelled an older waiting list for pension applicants.

Officials will make a new list of people who qualify.

People who registered at Jan Kalyan Camps will be checked first.

Applicants from the Apnar Sarkar Apnar Pashe programme will also receive priority.

The government says it wants to remove fake or ineligible names.

Some women with disabilities can receive Rs 4,500 each month through two benefits.

Single women may choose a Rs 3,000 Annapurna allowance instead of the Rs 1,500 pension.

New applications will be accepted at local camps later in the year.

Key facts

Widow pension: Increased from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 per month.
Waiting list: The list prepared by the previous government was cancelled.
New applications: Two-day Jan Kalyan Camps are planned at gram panchayat and ward levels in late November or December.
Current pension recipients: A total of 82,05,919 people were reported to be receiving pensions.
Annual expenditure: The pension scheme’s annual expenditure was cited as Rs 14,471 crore.
Women with disabilities: Around 1.24 lakh women aged 25 to 60 were identified for combined monthly assistance of Rs 4,500.
Annapurna transfer: The next transfer was announced for September 17, designated as Annapurna Day across West Bengal.

thestatesman.com · 1 hr ago