Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah to consider increasing pension for senior citizens to ₹2,000

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah said he will make efforts to increase senior citizens' pension to ₹2,000 from the existing ₹1,000.

Updated on: Oct 4, 2023, 11:40:48 IST

By Yamini C S

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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said he is considering an increase in pension for senior citizens, which could come into effect after the next state budget is announced. The Congress stalwart came to it after being pressed by his cabinet colleague Lakshmi Hebbalkar, who is the minister for the women and child welfare department.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. (File photo)

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, CM Siddaramaiah said he will “seriously consider” Hebbalkar's request to dispense ₹2,000 as pension for the elderly against the ₹1,000 being bestowed currently.

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“A decision on this will be taken in the next budget. Treating elders with respect and adopting their life values is the respect we give to elders. It is better to live a meaningful life as long as we have it,” he told news agency ANI. Siddaramaiah was at an event to honour seniors who received state awards in various fields.

He also addressed the recent stone-pelting incident in Shivamogga during a religious procession and said, “In our government, we take strict action to contain communal incidents quickly. Whoever indulges in communal incidents, strict action is taken against them.”

ALSO READ | Lingayat body says getting a raw deal, Congress on backfoot

Karnataka police have registered 24 cases in this regard and arrested as many as 60 people so far, police told agencies on Tuesday. Siddaramaiah also dismissed allegations by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that communally violent incidents are on the rise ever since the Congress government came to power.

The Siddaramaiah-led Congress government is currently also under fire for delaying the release of a caste census report from a survey conducted in the state. Senior Congress leaders including B K Hariprasad and former Union minister M Veerappa Moily have urged the state government to reveal the data from the survey.

(With ANI inputs)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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