Karnataka has raised the annual family income limit for social security pension eligibility from ₹32,000 to ₹1.20 lakh. The decision is expected to benefit lakhs of beneficiaries, including senior citizens, widows and persons with disabilities.
The Karnataka government has announced major relief for lakhs of beneficiaries dependent on social security pensions by raising the annual family income limit for eligibility from ₹32,000 to ₹1.20 lakh. The decision is expected to help elderly people, widows, persons with disabilities and other beneficiaries whose pensions were stopped during a recent verification drive. Eligible beneficiaries whose annual family income falls within the revised limit will now be able to resume receiving their monthly pensions, subject to verification.
Why Were The Pensions Stopped?
The government used its ‘Kutumba’ software to cross-check beneficiary data. The exercise flagged around 23,14,544 beneficiaries as ‘doubtful’.
Following this, Village Administrative Officers conducted physical verification using the ‘Samyojane’ mobile application. During the verification drive, around 18,06,032 pensions were temporarily stopped.
The reasons included beneficiaries being unable to produce the required documents, not residing at their registered address or having an annual family income above the earlier limit of ₹32,000.
Income Limit Raised To ₹1.20 Lakh
During the verification process, the government found that many genuine beneficiaries had an annual family income above ₹32,000 but within ₹1.20 lakh.
To ensure that eligible and deserving families do not lose access to social security benefits because of the earlier income ceiling, the government decided to raise the annual family income limit to ₹1.20 lakh.
What Does The Government Order Say?
The government order states that pension payments for eligible beneficiaries with an annual family income between ₹32,000 and ₹1.20 lakh, as verified through the Samyojane application, will continue until further orders.
The revised income ceiling is expected to provide relief to beneficiaries who were affected by the earlier verification process but continue to meet the other eligibility criteria.
Who Will Benefit From The Revised Limit?
The revised income limit will benefit eligible beneficiaries under various social security pension schemes, including:
- Senior citizens receiving old-age pensions
- Widows receiving widow pensions
- Persons with disabilities receiving disability pensions
- Beneficiaries of the Manasvini scheme
- Beneficiaries of the Sandhya Suraksha scheme
The revised order is expected to immediately benefit around 52,000 people. As the verification process continues in phases, the government expects more than 12 lakh beneficiaries across Karnataka to receive financial support under the revised criteria.
Strict Instructions To Revenue Officials
GN Susheela, Under Secretary to the Government in the Revenue Department, has issued instructions to Deputy Commissioners, Assistant Commissioners and Tahsildars across the state.
The officials have been directed to resume pension payments immediately for all eligible beneficiaries whose annual family income falls within the revised ₹1.20 lakh limit, subject to the verification requirements.
The decision is expected to provide significant relief to vulnerable beneficiaries who depend on monthly social security pensions for their livelihood.