Rajasthan approves pension for 400,000 people

The Rajasthan government has approved more than 400,000 pension applications for eligible people as part of a scheme that seeks to support and empower the needy to live a life of respect and dignity.

Since the campaign for popularising the scheme was launched here on April 20, as many as 3,000 camps have been organised across the state especially in the far-flung villages, officials said.

"At these camps, officials identify the needy. Then they hand over the application forms and photograph the beneficiaries on the spot itself. This apart, the government is also making arrangements to help those who cannot come to the camps," an official said.

"The chief minister (Ashok Gehlot) had also directed us to simplify the rules pertaining to the scheme. It is also given without any discrimination. People are happy since this is the first time such a major social security scheme has been organised in the state."

Those eligible include the aged, widows, divorced women, disabled people, those falling below the poverty line and dwarfs less than three-and-a-half-feet-tall. The eligibility income limit for the old, widows and divorced women is fixed at below Rs.48,000 annually.

"I am very happy my application has been approved," said 56-year-old Jija, who lives in the Kotda panchayat area in Udaipur district. "I did not have any source of income. The Rs.500 that has been approved will help me immensely."