Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has ordered for implementing enhanced pension for citizens aged 80 and above as well as for those with 80 per cent or more disability under its social welfare schemes.
All beneficiaries of the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) and Madhu Babu Pension Scheme (MBPS) will now receive an increased monthly pension of Rs 3,500. Around 4,17,496 individuals in the state will benefit from this hike.
The Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) Department recently directed all District Social Security Officers (DSSOs) to implement the enhanced pension from June based on the list of eligible beneficiaries provided by the sub-collectors. The DSSOs have been asked to sanction the revised pension amounts and forward the necessary orders to the department for further action.
This increase will be effective retrospectively from January 2025, it added.
The enhanced pension was a promise made in the BJP manifesto and announced by Chief Minister Mohan Mjahi during the maiden budget placed in the assembly in July 2024. An allocation of Rs 7,600 crore was made for the pension schemes.
The CM had also distributed the enhanced pension to a select few at a state-level programme in Dharanidhar University, Keonjhar, this January.
