The payment of enhanced Social Security Pensions (SSP) by the Andhra Pradesh government under the YSR Pension Kanuka scheme is beginning on January 1, 2024. Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy will give away the pensions to some beneficiaries at Kakinada on January 3. The monthly pension was ₹2,750 until November and it has been increased to ₹3,000 now.
Pension cards are going to be distributed to 1,17,161 new beneficiaries, taking the total number of pensioners to 66.34 lakh. Village and ward volunteers will deliver the pensions at the people’s doorsteps until January 8, according to an official release.
The release said that the annual expenditure to be incurred by the YSRCP government on the SSP henceforth will be ₹23,556 crore. The social security pensions paid since 2019 amounted to ₹83,526 crore.
The government took steps to ensure that no official asked for bribes and middlemen did not fleece the pensioners. The selection of beneficiaries was done on the basis of a social audit. Pensioners who might still face problems can dial the toll-free number 1902 for solutions.
The enhancement of pensions was among the promises the YSR Congress Party made in its manifesto in the run-up to the elections in 2019. Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy fulfilled it despite various constraints, the release added.
Published - December 31, 2023 07:55 pm IST
