New Delhi: AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said an additional 80,000 people are now eligible for old-age pension in Delhi, raising the total number of such beneficiaries to 5.3 lakh.
Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Kejriwal said that the Delhi government is committed to social welfare and highlighted that the decision to pay old-age pensions to more people is being implemented following Cabinet approval on Sunday. This scheme will provide financial security to the elderly so that they can live their lives with dignity, he added.
On Sunday, the Delhi government launched a portal for the elderly to apply for pensions. The former Delhi CM claimed that 10,000 applications have been received under this new pension scheme within the last 24 hours. "It is a sin to stop the pensions of old people," Kejriwal said, accusing the BJP of halting pensions during his imprisonment.
"After coming out, we not only restarted the halted pensions, but also added 80,000 new beneficiaries," he said. After this addition, the total number of pensioners in Delhi is around 5.3 lakh, Kejriwal added.
The government has ensured that the application process is simple and smooth so that all eligible elderly people can avail the benefits of this scheme without any difficulty.
Kejriwal claimed that Delhi offers the highest pension rates in the country, with Rs 2,000 provided to individuals aged 60-69 and Rs 2,500 for those aged 70 and above. Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj were also present at the press conference. Atishi reaffirmed the government’s dedication to serving the people, while Bharadwaj announced plans to extend Rs 5,000 monthly pension to differently-abled individuals. (With PTI Inputs)
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