₹250 hike not enough, say social security pensioners

Social security pensioners, including old age pensioners, have expressed dissatisfaction after the state government on Friday announced increase in monthly pension

Social security pensioners, including old age pensioners, have expressed dissatisfaction after the state government on Friday announced increase in monthly pension from ₹2,000 to ₹2,250. The hike will come into effect from January this year.

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Pensioners across the state claimed that both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) had betrayed them by promising a pension amount of ₹3,000 and ₹5,100 per month respectively during the assembly election campaign.

Mange Ram, 72, a resident of Kakroli Hukmi in Dadri district said they had voted for JJP candidate Naina Chautala from Badhra assembly segment because her son and deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala had promised to give ₹5,100 per month to old age pensioners, if voted to power.

“Dushyant has betrayed us by making false promises during assembly elections. We were expecting a hike of ₹1,000 per month but the BJP’s alliance partner JJP remained mum on the issue. We want to know why Dushyant did not ask chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and his cabinet ministers to give safety and security to pensioners by increasing the amount,” he added.

At present, there are about 28 lakh pensioners in the state.

The CM had also announced to enhance the monthly pension of workers registered under the building and other construction workers welfare board from ₹2,500 to ₹2,750 per month.

Ram Kishan Sharma, another old age pensioner from Jind, said the BJP-JJP leaders befooled the public by increasing facilities and salary given to the ministers but failed to increase the pension amount at the same rate.

“Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar had said the decision will cost additional burden of ₹70 crore per month on the state exchequer. If he knew about it then why did his party promise people of giving ₹3,000 per month to pensioners,” he added.

JJP state president Nishan Singh said they are committed to their promise of giving ₹5,100 per month to old age pensioners. “The BJP government had been increasing the social security pension at ₹200 per month since 2014 but this time the coalition government increased it by ₹250 per month. I will raise this issue before deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala. If our party had got clear majority, we would have definitely given ₹5,100 per month to pensioners,” he added.

Senior INLD leader and Ellenabad MLA Abhay Singh Chautala said, “Leaders of both the parties have betrayed people by increasing only ₹250 in social security pension. I will raise this issue in the upcoming assembly session,” he added.

The CM on Friday said, “Usually, hike in pension is linked to inflation rate. In that case, the amount would have been ₹160. But keeping in view of our coalition partner, we increased it by ₹250 per month,” he added.