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Govt to consider raising income criteria for social security pension: HP CM
Said this while replying to a question raised by Kangra legislator Pawan Kajal and Renuka legislator Vinay Kumar during the question hour
The Himachal Pradesh government will consider raising income criteria of ₹35,000 per year for women and differently-abled persons to avail social security pension, chief minister Jai Ram Thakur said in the state assembly on Friday.
He said this while replying to a question raised by Kangra legislator Pawan Kajal and Renuka legislator Vinay Kumar during the question hour.
Earlier, social justice and empowerment minister Rajiv Saizal said that an income limit of ₹35,000 was currently set for getting social security pension.
He said that at present there is no plan to increase this limit due to the poor financial condition of the state government. “However, the government would conduct a survey to find out how much financial burden it will have to bear if the income limit is raised. If possible, the state government would consider raising the income limit after conducting the survey,” he said.
Replying to a question jointly raised by Nalagarh legislator Lakhvinder Rana and Doon legislator Paramjeet Singh, CM said that Union surface transport ministry has refused to bear the cost of land acquisition for the Pinjore-Baddi-Nalagarh four-lane road. CM said that 38.95 hectares of land was to be acquired for this road, out of which 25.69 hectares were private land and 13.26 hectares of forest land. Out of this, 17.23-hectare land has been acquired. The circle rate of land in Baddi-Barotiwala was very high and the construction of this road was estimated at ₹421 crore, while the acquisition of land would cost ₹650 crore.
CM said that he took up the matter with the Centre, who had refused to give such the land for such a huge price.
The land prices in Baddi-Barotiwala are higher than Mumbai due to industrialisation as Baddi-Barotiwala is the biggest industrial belt of the state, he added.
