Old age pension stuck at Rs 600 as hike proposal pending with Finance dept

While the old-age pension beneficiaries struggle to make ends meet with the Rs 600 they receive per month, a 2023 proposal to increase the amount to Rs 1,500 still awaits approval from the Finance Department.

- Rajan Raikwar

Under the integrated social security pension scheme, approximately 15.75 lakh senior citizens receive Rs 600 per month.

The Social Justice Department had forwarded its proposal for the said increase to the Finance Department in November 2023.

Sources in the Social Justice Department said the last time the old age pension was increased was in 2019, in the then Kamal Nath government, when it was hiked from Rs 300 to Rs 600. In the past six years, beneficiaries have had to make do with this paltry amount despite inflation.