Bengaluru: The govt’s decision to raise the annual income ceiling for social security pensions from Rs 32,000 to Rs 1.2 lakh is expected to help around 20 lakh beneficiaries retain their pensions.Revenue department data shows there are over 83 lakh social security pensioners in the state. Of them, 23.1 lakh were identified as doubtful after pension records were matched with family data and information related to age, income, IT payees and APL beneficiaries.As of Aug 13, pensions of 51,720 beneficiaries were cancelled, while those of 2.7 lakh beneficiaries were restored following verification by village administrative officers and tahsildars. Verification of the remaining 20 lakh beneficiaries is under way.The govt had initially flagged beneficiaries whose annual income exceeded the existing Rs 32,000 ceiling. But after raising the limit to Rs 1.2 lakh via an order on Aug 19, deputy CM and revenue minister G Parameshwara directed officials to re-verify cases and restore pensions to those eligible.The decision came after KGF MLA Roopakala M raised the issue in the assembly, urging the govt to revise the income ceiling fixed in Feb 2021. She pointed out that lakhs of beneficiaries, most of them from poor families, were ineligible because of the low ceiling.Parameshwara said: “By increasing the annual income limit, we have resolved a long-pending issue.” The revised limit applies to old-age, widow and disability pensions, Sandhya Suraksha, Manaswini and Maitri schemes.Nagamma, 65, from Devanahalli, said she had received Sandhya Suraksha pension for four years but had not received the Rs 1,200 monthly payment for more than six months.“I am not sure why my pension was stopped. I can buy my medicines if the govt restores my pension,” she said. She said several beneficiaries in her village were facing a similar situation. She suspected the Rs 2,000 assistance received under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme might have been counted as family income.Nagalakshmamma, another beneficiary who has been receiving a widow pension for more than a decade, also suspected that the assistance may have affected her eligibility. “Gruha Lakshmi is not a permanent source of income since the govt can stop it at any time,” she said. “We do not want to lose a permanent source of income. The govt should not count Gruha Lakshmi or other guarantee scheme assistance while determining eligibility for social security pensions,” she said.
