Kerala government to disburse two months pension to 62 lakh beneficiaries as Onam gift

The CPI (M)-led Kerala government on Friday announced disbursement of a two-month pension for over 60 lakh beneficiaries as an Onam gift.

State Finance Minister K N Balagopal said that Rs 1,700 crore had been allocated for the purpose.

"Around 62 lakh people will receive Rs 3,200 each for Onam. This is in addition to the one month's pension that is currently being given," he said in a statement.


The decision to disburse the Social Security and Welfare Fund pension to beneficiaries starting next week is seen as an attempt to regain the Left government’s mass base, which was lost during the Lok Sabha elections.


Earlier, the ruling party and its allies had attributed their defeat in the Lok Sabha polls to delayed settlement of dues and recommended a course correction.

The LDF won just one seat in the Lok Sabha elections, while the Congress-led UDF secured 18 seats, and the BJP opened its account for the first time in the state's political history.

Balagopal said that the pension amount will start reaching beneficiaries from next week onwards.

He said 26.62 lakh people will receive the amount directly in their bank accounts, while the remaining will receive their pension through cooperative banks, which will deliver it to their homes. He said that one of the two additional months' pension sanctioned is a backlog payment.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had earlier assured the Assembly that the delayed backlog payment of social security pension, due to financial constraints, would be paid this year and next year.

Balagopal said the government faced financial constraints due to the Central government policies but the Left government had made a firm decision to provide at least one month's backlog pension during Onam.


"The government has given top priority to pension disbursement. Since last March, monthly pension disbursement has been ensured. This month's pension is being given ahead of time, coinciding with Onam," he said.

The minister claimed that Kerala has implemented the most comprehensive social security pension scheme in India.

The state bears 98 per cent of the required funds, while only two per cent is contributed by the Central government.

"Out of 62 lakh welfare pension beneficiaries, 6.8 lakh people receive a meager assistance of around Rs 300 from the Central government. In contrast, pensioners in Kerala receive Rs 1,600 per month, with the state government funding the entire remaining amount," the minister added.