Himachal Government is providing social security pension to 6.35 lakh persons in the state.
About 4,15, 993 senior citizens, 125343 widows, single women and destitute women, 1482 leprosy patients and about 150 transgender are being covered under the social security scheme in Himachal, said an official spokesman of the State Government.
He said that the State Government is giving utmost priority to the upliftment of senior citizens, women and specially abled persons. Under the various initiatives of the State Government towards welfare of this section of the society, the government laid special emphasis on expansion of social security schemes.
The expenditure on social security pension has been enhanced upto Rs 1037 crore in 2021, which was Rs 436 crore in 2017. The State Government reduced the age limit of the old age pension scheme from without any income limit from 80 years to 70 years. The age limit for availing the old age pension for women, has also been lowered to 65 years. These decisions of the government have benefited several senior citizens of the state, the spokesman said. The present State Government has sanctioned 1,95,003 new applications under social security pension, providing economic and social security to the people of the state, he said.
