Govt likely to link old age pension with inflation index
9 March 2013 4:44 AM IST
Oldage pension is likely to be linked with inflation index on the pattern of MNREGA besides being made universal by doing away with APL and BPL criteria, the government on Thursday informed Rajya Sabha.
The government is also contemplating amendments to other two pension schemes to make widows eligible for it at 18 years instead of present age cap of 40, and disabled with 40 per cent disability qualify for it instead of 80 per cent.
‘Government has reached a broad consensus on the issue after two rounds of talks with Pension Parishad. Elderly people from different states are staging dharna at Jantar Mantar for universalisation of pension scheme. The Prime Minister has asked me to talk to them...An agreement is likely in the next three to four months,’ said Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh.
Ramesh was responding to members’ concern over dharna by the elderly people, who are demanding increase in the pension to Rs 2,000 a month from Rs 200 at present. Informing members that it will be made Rs 300 per month, Ramesh said, I agree that today Rs 300 a month is nothing and it should be increased. It should be linked to inflation as in case of MNREGA. I will speak to the Finance Minister and Prime Minister,’ said Ramesh.
The government has spent Rs 8,400 crore in 2012-13 on pensions and it plans to spend Rs 9,400 crore in 2013-14.
The government is also contemplating amendments to other two pension schemes to make widows eligible for it at 18 years instead of present age cap of 40, and disabled with 40 per cent disability qualify for it instead of 80 per cent.
‘Government has reached a broad consensus on the issue after two rounds of talks with Pension Parishad. Elderly people from different states are staging dharna at Jantar Mantar for universalisation of pension scheme. The Prime Minister has asked me to talk to them...An agreement is likely in the next three to four months,’ said Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh.
Ramesh was responding to members’ concern over dharna by the elderly people, who are demanding increase in the pension to Rs 2,000 a month from Rs 200 at present. Informing members that it will be made Rs 300 per month, Ramesh said, I agree that today Rs 300 a month is nothing and it should be increased. It should be linked to inflation as in case of MNREGA. I will speak to the Finance Minister and Prime Minister,’ said Ramesh.
The government has spent Rs 8,400 crore in 2012-13 on pensions and it plans to spend Rs 9,400 crore in 2013-14.
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