Lucknow: Delivering on his promise, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ensured old-age pensions for 61 lakh poor senior citizens of Uttar Pradesh in the first quarter itself. Now, the government has raised the bar, aiming to extend this support to 67.50 lakh elderly in 2025–26.
In the first quarter of the previous financial year, the UP government met its goal by crediting Rs 1,000 monthly pensions directly into the bank accounts of 56 lakh elderly beneficiaries. For 2025–26, the Social Welfare Department had set a target of 61 lakh pensioners under the Old Age Pension Scheme — a milestone already surpassed, prompting the government to raise the target even higher.
The move reinforces the UP government’s strong commitment to the welfare and dignity of senior citizens. The introduction of the Single Nodal Account (SNA) system has made the pension distribution process fully digital and transparent. Under this system, pension amounts are transferred directly to Aadhaar-linked accounts, eliminating middlemen and ensuring timely, corruption-free disbursement. The SNA system also facilitates faster payments, easier audits, and efficient fund tracking, guaranteeing that every rupee is used for the intended purpose.
The Old Age Pension Scheme remains a cornerstone of the state government’s public welfare agenda, aimed at making financially vulnerable senior citizens self-reliant. Under the scheme, all eligible individuals aged 60 years and above receive Rs 1,000 per month to ease financial hardship in their later years.