While enhancing the social security pension for various categories of beneficiaries in Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu restored the name of the scheme after TDP founder N.T. Rama Rao.
In G.O. Ms. No. 43 issued by Chief Secretary Neerabh Kumar Prasad through the Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Department on June 13, the government named its as ‘NTR Bharosa Pension Scheme’.
As promised by Mr. Naidu in the run-up to the elections, the government ordered that the pension amount be enhanced to ₹4,000 per month from the existing ₹3,000 for Old Age People (OAP), widows, weavers, toddy-toppers, fishermen, single women, traditional cobblers, transgenders, ART (PLHIV), Dappu artistes and artists.
The enhanced pension under these categories would be payable to the beneficiaries from April 1, 2024, and disbursed from July 1, 2024, along with three months’ arrears. Thus the amount to be disbursed would be ₹7,000 in July. Thereafter, ₹4,000 per month would be disbursed every month.
The government further ordered that pension for the disabled persons, who included all persons with disability and multi-deformity leprosy persons, be enhanced to ₹6,000 per month from the existing ₹3,000. Fully disabled persons would get an enhanced pension of ₹15,000 per month from the existing ₹5,000.
When it comes to chronic diseases such as Bilateral Elephantiasis-Grade 4, kidney, liver and heart transplant, and CKDU not on dialysis (CKD serum creatinine of >5 mg, CKD estimated GFR <15 ml, CKD small contracted kidney), the pension was increased to ₹10,000 per month from the existing ₹5,000.
The Chief Secretary ordered the Chief Executive Officer, Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP), and the Commissioner, PR&RD Department, to take further action accordingly.
