Direct Benefit Transfer implemented in Widows Pension scheme in Gujarat

Gandhinagar: Gujarat government today launched Direct Benefit Transfer for 3.70 lakh beneficiaries of widows pension scheme ‘Ganga Swarup Arthik Sahay Yojana’. Total Rs. 53 crore monthly pension was delivered directly to post accounts of beneficiaries by just one click by Chief Minister. Widows get Rs. 1250/month as pension under this scheme. The pension amount previously was Rs. 1000 per month. Widows registered under this scheme get monthly pension for life time now, against the earlier version of this scheme, in which widows would not get pension once their son turns 21.

While launching the Direct Benefit Transfer, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani directed the officials that beneficiaries of this scheme should get monthly pension in the first week of each month itself. Annual income criteria to get benefit under this scheme was previously Rs. 47,000 in rural area and Rs. 68,000 in urban areas. However the present government had recently modified and relaxed the criteria to Rs. 1.20 lakh annual income in rural areas and Rs. 1.50 lakh in urban areas. Due to this change, the number of total beneficiaries of this scheme rose from 1.64 lakh to 3.70 lakh.

DeshGujarat