In a strategic move, the Telangana Congress party is targeting the potential vote bank of 40 lakh pensioners in the next elections.
The party is contemplating promising doubling of their pension amount if Congress party comes to power in next elections.
There are various categories of pensioners in the state including old age persons, widows, weavers, toddy tappers, beedi workers, single women, HIV patients and filaria patients and the disabled.
After coming to power in 2014, the TRS increased the pensions for above categories multi-fold from Rs 200 to Rs 1,000 per month. The total budgetary outlay towards Aasara pensions for the year 2018-19 was Rs. 5,300 crore.
The Congress party is now planning to tap these pensions into a potential vote bank for the party.
In March 2018, the party appointed a high level committee under the chairmanship of Deputy CLP leader T Jeevan Reddy.
The committee was assigned the task to undertake an in-depth study of the pension schemes being implemented by the state government. Further, the committee also studied similar schemes being implemented in other States.
Factors like eligibility criteria and inflation were also taken into consideration. After a thorough study of all aspects, including financial implications on the State's Exchequer, the committee prepared a comprehensive report recommending increase in pension amount by double.
Taking into account these recommendations, the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee came out with the announcement that all categories of pensioners would get the double amount if Congress party is voted to power in next elections.
Besides, it also aims to increase the number of beneficiaries in the old age pension category by reducing the age of beneficiaries from 60 to 58 years for being eligible for pensions.
“If a government employee starts getting pension after retirement at the age of 58, then why the poor and weaker sections, who have no source of livelihood should get pension at 65 years age," PCC chief Uttam Kumar Reddy said while making the announcement on August 15.