Telangana Aasara Pension 2024: Eligibility, Benefits, Application Process

Telangana Asara Pension Scheme 2024 New Updates

Telangana finance minister in the annual budget session for the fiscal year 2023-24 allocated Rs. 12,000 crores to the Aasara Pension Scheme. FM said “After coming to power, the KCR led state government increased the pension being given to the elderly, widows, AIDS patients, handloom workers and toddy tappers from Rs. 200 to Rs. 2,016 per month; pension to differently-abled was increased from Rs. 500 to Rs. 3,016 per month which will further be increased by Rs. 1000 i.e disabled persons will get Rs. 4,016 per month from July 2023; pension to single women, beedi workers and filarial patients would be Rs. 2,016 per month.

“It is no exaggeration to say that the golden age of welfare is ushered in by the TRS government. The government has reduced the age limit for Aasara pensions from 65 to 57. For Aasara pensions, the government proposes an outlay of Rs. 12000 crores,” said the minister.

          Mahalakshmi Scheme Telangana

Aasara Pension Scheme Benefits 

During the 75th Independence Day celebrations, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao introduced a significant expansion of the government’s “Asara” program, which now includes one million new beneficiaries. The expansion marks a significant change, as it offers benefits to people age 57 and older for the first time, while the program was previously limited to individuals age 65 and older. While the primary objective is to ensure that all eligible pensioners are covered, the emphasis is on widening the reach rather than simply increasing the pension amount. Notably, Asara pension will now also cover dialysis dependent kidney patients.

Telangana State provides Telangana Aasara Pension 2024 to persons aged 65 and above. During the 2018 election campaign, K. Chandrasekhar Rao expressed his commitment to extend this initiative to adults aged 57 to 65. To facilitate this, the Department of Rural Development Society for the Elimination of Rural Poverty is currently accepting applications from eligible candidates. Anyone who is 57 years of age at the time of application is encouraged to apply. Eligible beneficiaries can submit their applications at Meesewa Centres.

        Telangana minority 1 lakh scheme

Aasara Pension Scheme: Eligibility criteria

For old age

• The minimum age is 65 years old.
• The applicant must be a member of a primitive or vulnerable tribe.
• People who work in the informal sector, such as porters, fruit/flower sellers, snake charmers, rag pickers, coolies, rickshaw pullers, hand cart pullers, and cobblers, are eligible regardless of whether they live in rural or urban regions.
• Homeless individuals or individuals living in improvised shelters or huts.

For widows

• The minimum age should be 18 years.
• The widow must be from a Primitive and Vulnerable Tribal Group.

For weavers

• The weaver must be older than 50 years.
• The candidate must be a member of a primitive or vulnerable tribal group.

For toddy tappers

• The toddy tapper must be older than 50 years.
• The candidate must be a member of a primitive or vulnerable tribal group.
• Verification of the beneficiary’s membership in the Co-Operative Society of Toddy Tappers.

For disabled individuals

• To avail of this scheme, the person can be of any age.

The person must belong to a primitive and vulnerable tribe.

                Gruhalakshmi Scheme Telangana

Aasara Pension Scheme: Socio Economic Criteria

Socio – economic criteria: Aasara pensions are meant only for disadvantaged families who, in old age or upon being widowed have no earning member in the family. Earning members in the families are expected by law to look after their parents. Similarly, persons with disabilities are severely stymied by their levels of handicap that renders them to be ineffective and excluded by society and family; therefore, they need financial support. Accordingly, there is a need for exclusion and inclusion criterion to be taken in to consideration for the grant of social security pensions under the Aasara Scheme. The persons belonging to the households fulfilling one or more of the following conditions listed below shall not be eligible for Social Security.

• Having land more than 3.0 acres wet / irrigated dry or 7.5 acres dry.
• Having children who are Government / Public sector / Private sector employment / Out-sourced / contract
• Having children who are Doctors, Contractors, Professionals and Self employed
• Having large business Enterprise (oil mills, rice mills, petrol pumps, rig owners, shop owners etc.)
• Already receiving Government pensions or freedom fighter pensions
• Owners of light and/or heavy automobiles (four wheelers and big vehicles.)
• Any other criterion in which the verification officer may assess by the manner of lifestyle, occupation and possession of assets rendering the household as ineligible.

The households under the following socio-economic criteria and falling in the above age group must be considered for inclusion and hence, eligible for a pension, provided they are not in the exclusion list:-

• Primitive and Vulnerable Tribal Groups
• Women headed households with no able bodied earning members;
• Households having persons with disabilities
• In respect of all pensions except disabled and widows, only one member (preferably the women) per household shall be eligible for a pension;
• Landless agriculture laborers, rural artisans/craftsmen (such as potters, tanners, weavers, blacksmiths, and carpenters), slum dwellers, persons earning their livelihood on daily basis in the informal sector like porters, coolies, rickshaw pullers, hand cart pullers, fruit/flower sellers, snake charmers, rag pickers, cobblers, destitute’s and other similar categories irrespective of rural or urban areas
• Homeless, houseless households residing in temporary informal establishments or huts, especially in urban areas
• Households headed by widows or terminally ill persons/disabled persons /persons aged 65 years or more with no assured means of subsistence or societal support and able bodied earning member

Aasara Pension Scheme: Identification of eligible pensioners

• verification of the applications will be done by the Gram Panchayat or the respective municipal/Deputy Commissioner of the GHMC.
• The Gram Panchayat Secretary / Village Revenue Officer in the rural area and Bill Collector in Urban area will receive applications
• The Gram Panchayat Secretary in rural areas and the Bill Collector in the Urban areas will be entrusted with the task of verifying these applications and certifying them
• The designated Mandal Parishad Development Officer / Municipal Commissioner/ Deputy/Zonal Commissioner Officer shall scrutinize the verified applications to assess their eligibility and sanction them a pension based on the guidelines given time to time by the Government.
• While identifying beneficiaries as listed in para C above, the data as per the household survey, the census population figures & percentages for old age, widows and handicapped shall be kept in mind for each Panchayat, mandal, and municipality, besides ensuring equity among the various social categories such as SC, ST, BC and OC communities.
• Wrongful identification and certification of beneficiaries if identified in the social audit or surprise verification of beneficiaries will be severely dealt with and disciplinary action initiated on all concerned besides recovery of the amount paid. These shall include wrongful certificates issued under SADAREM in respect of persons with disabilities.

Aasara Pension Scheme: Documents Required 

The following documents will be required while applying for the pension scheme:-

• Aadhaar Card
• Address Proof
• Income Certificate
• Proof of age
• Death Certificate in case of a widow
• Xerox copy of registration in the Cooperative society of Toddy Tappers.
• Weavers should submit a Xerox copy of registration in the Co-operatives society of weavers.
• SADAREM Certificate in the case of persons with disabilities 40% or above and 51% with respect to the hearing impaired.
• Bank Account Passbook
• Post Office Saving Account
• IFSC Code
• Photograph
• Mobile Number

Aasara Pension Scheme: Important points 

• The verification of applicant shall be done by Gram Panchayat or  by Municipal/ Deputy Commissioner of the GHMC (Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation).
• MPDO’s (Mandal Parishad Development officer) in rural areas and Tahsildars/ Municipal Commissioners in urban areas shall enter the data of verified applicant in Aasara Software for sanction of Pension.
• On approval by District Collector Aasara Pesion Card shall be distributed to the beneficiaries.
• Income certificate needed to be submitted where income is the basis for sanction of pension.
• On unavailability of Age proof document Verification officer’s assessment or Medical Board assessment will be done for age determination.
• The CEO, SERP (Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty), Telangana, Hyderabad and all the District Collectors shall take full responsibility to implement Aasara Pension scheme online.

TS Asara Pension: Aadhaar Seeding

Payments will be made using biometrics if the following requirements are met:

• Beneficiaries will be assigned an Aadhaar number, which will be instantly seeded for the most efficient payment using biometric identification and Aadhaar-enabled payment systems.
• If an Aadhaar number is not available, they will get an Aadhaar number with the help of the local government.
• The disbursement of pensions shall be made through biometric authentication using an Aadhaar number. For this purpose, either the best finger detection (BFD) or IRIS authentication may be used to effect payments
• When patients are immobile or have significant upper body injuries, the Gram Panchayat Secretary or Bill Collector will issue a pension using their biometrics.

Telangana Asara Pension Scheme: How to apply

Eligible applicants can apply for Telangana Asara Pension Yojana by filling the offline application form as per their category.

Telangana Government Asara Pension Yojana offline application form can be obtained from any of the following offices:-

• Gram Panchayat Office.
• Village Revenue Officer Office.
• MeeSeva Centres.
• Municipal Corporation Office.

Enter your details in the application form, attach the required documents, and submit it to the Gram Panchayat Secretary/ Village Revenue Officer in rural areas or Bill Collector in urban areas.

After thorough verification, if the applicant’s application is found to be genuine, he/she will be selected for the scheme and will be notified through SMS.

Thereafter monthly pension under Telangana Asara Pension Yojana will be transferred to the beneficiary’s bank account.

Search pensioner details

Follow the steps below to find the details of Aasara Pensioner.

• Visit the Asara portal
• Click on Quick Search. From there select “Search Pensioner Details“.

• On the next page, you can either search by Pensioner ID or SADAREM ID or by providing relevant details about the individual.
• Once you have entered the required details, click on Submit to view the pensioner details

Contact Information

Follow the steps below to find Asara contact details.

• Visit the Asara scheme portal
• Now the home page will open in front of you
• Then click on ‘‘APOs Contact Details”.

• After this as soon as you click on this option, the ‘‘Contact Details” will open in front of you
• This way you can view the contact details

Conclusion

The Telangana Aasara Pension 2024 was first launched by the Chief Minister in 2014 to provide financial assistance to widows, HIV patients and persons unable to work due to various reasons. The scheme aims to improve the standard of living of these beneficiaries by enabling them to take care of their families without worrying about their financial stability. With the recent renewal of the scheme, the pension amount has been increased to provide even more benefits to the beneficiaries. Now, those who are unable to work due to health reasons, will not have to struggle to earn a living thanks to Telangana Aasara Pension 2024.

Telangana Aasara Pension Scheme FAQ

Q. What are the conditions for Asara pension Scheme?

Homeless, homeless families living in temporary informal establishments or shanties are particularly eligible in urban areas. Households headed by widows or infirm sick persons/disabled persons/persons aged 65 years or above who have no fixed means of livelihood or social support are also eligible.

Q. What is the amount of Aasara pension Scheme?

The decision will benefit over 5 lakh pension holders under the specially-abled category. The government has issued orders to this effect after a high-level review meeting on 22nd July 2023, increasing the amount being given to them from 3,016 rupees to 4,016 rupees per month.