Chandigarh, November 5
The Haryana Government today decided to raise the old age and other social security pensions from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,200 per month from January 1.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Haryana Cabinet under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. There would be a constant increase of Rs 200 in the pension amount every year till five years. As a result, the beneficiaries will draw Rs 2,000 per month at the end of five years, as promised by the BJP in its election manifesto.

“The increase would be a new year’s gift to the beneficiaries, including old age pensioners, widows and dwarfs, and would entail an additional burden of about Rs 520 crore every year,” Khattar said.

He said the hiked pension would be paid from January 1 and credited to the bank accounts of more than 22 lakh beneficiaries from February 1 through electronic benefit transfers. “The Jan Dhan Yojana would come handy in electronic transfer of the hiked pension directly to the beneficiaries’ accounts,” he said.