Arvind Kejriwal Says 80,000 Beneficiaries Will Be Added to Age Pensioners List Ahead of Delhi Polls

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Arvind Kejriwal announced on Monday that 80,000 people are now eligible for old age pension, which means the total number of such beneficiaries has increased to 5.3 lakh. Addressing a press conference, he said the Delhi government was committed to social welfare and emphasized that the decision to pay old age pension to more people was taken after the cabinet approved it on Sunday.

Delhi government has launched a portal for senior citizens to apply for retirement. Kejriwal claimed that he has already received 10,000 applications. “Stopping pensions of elderly people is a sin,” Kejriwal said, accusing the BJP of stopping pensions during his time in jail.

“After exiting, we not only restarted pensions that had been stopped, but also added another 80,000 new beneficiaries,” he said. Kejriwal added that after this addition, the total number of retirees in Delhi is around 5.3 lakh.

#WRISTWATCH | Delhi: AAP National Convener Arvind Kejriwal says, “Today we have brought good news for the elderly in Delhi. 80,000 old age pensions are being made available. Now a total of 5.3 lakh elderly will get the pension. This law has been passed in the cabinet and the Delhi government… pic.twitter.com/6hViFEV78U

— ANI (@ANI) 25 November 2024

The AAP Supremo claimed that Delhi offers the highest pension rates in the country, providing Rs 2,000 to individuals aged 60-69 and Rs 2,500 to those aged 70 and above.

Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj were also present at the press conference.

While Atishi reaffirmed the government’s commitment to serve the people, Bharadwaj announced plans to provide a monthly pension of Rs 5,000 to differently-abled individuals.

In an effort to include more senior citizens, the Delhi government has started accepting applications for the pension scheme through the e-district portal. The application window will remain open until three weeks have passed or 80,000 applications have been submitted.

Applicants must be 60 years of age and above, have lived in Delhi for at least five years and the family’s annual income must be below Rs 1 lakh. They should also not receive any other pension or financial assistance from the central or state government.