Bhubaneswar: In what can be considered as a good news for the beneficiaries, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced an increase of Rs 500 in the monthly pension amount under the Madhu Babu Pension Yojana (MBPY).
As per the announcement, the eligible beneficiaries of the scheme will get a minimum pension amount of Rs 1000. They will get this enhanced pension from this February. Earlier, the beneficiaries in this scheme were getting Rs 500, Rs 700 and Rs 900 respectively. According to the enhanced pension, they will now get Rs 10,000, Rs 1,200 and Rs 1,400 respectively.
The state government will spend Rs 3683 crore annually for this enhanced pension.
The enhanced money will be given to the pensioners between February 20 and February 25. The pension has been hiked following the request of the beneficiaries to 5T and Nabin Odisha Chairman VK Pandian during his visits to different districts.
It is to be noted here that the state government provides social security to various categories of people. These categories include senior citizens, widows, Persons with Disability (PwDs), unmarried women, cured leprosy and AIDS patients, divorced women, transgender, covid orphans.
Beneficiaries ranging from small children to 79 years of age get Rs 500 per month under this scheme. People aged 80 years and above get Rs 700 per month. In the case of PwDs, those with 40 to 59 per cent disability get Rs 500 per month, while those with 60 per cent or more disability get Rs 700. People above 80 years of age with more than 60 per cent disability get Rs 900 per month.
Earlier on February 6, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had given his approval for the inclusion of four lakh more beneficiaries under the Madhu Babu Pension Yojana . With the increase, the total number of beneficiaries under MBPY increased to 36.75 lakh from the existing 32.75 lakh and the state government will incur an expenditure of Rs 190.20 crore per month.
Ms Kalinga