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Uttar Pradesh cabinet decisions: Access to old age pension eased, stamp duty on rent agreements slashed
Briefing media persons, minister of state (independent charge) for social welfare Asim Arun said the new system would bring about long-term changes in the social welfare sector, ensuring easy governance along with e-governance.
The Uttar Pradesh cabinet on Friday approved a proposal to introduce the Family ID “One Family, One Identity” (‘Ek Parivar, Ek Pehchan’) system to broaden security coverage to all the eligible old age pensioners under the National Old Age Pension Scheme.
The new system would now automatically identify eligible senior citizens and pension would be sanctioned after obtaining their consent.
The state cabinet also approved a major relief to tenants and landlords by introducing drastic cuts in stamp duty and registration fees on rent agreements signed for up to 10 years. This move is aimed at encouraging legally enforceable contracts and bringing down disputes arising from informal tenancy arrangements.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath presided over the meeting of the state cabinet that took these decisions.
As of now, 67.50 lakh (6.75 million) pensioners are getting the old age pension of ₹1000 per month. About 8.25 lakh (825,000) more pensioners in the below poverty line (BPL) category are likely to be added to the scheme. The state government will have to spend an additional ₹990 crore on the scheme following the move to cover all the pensioners. The state government spends about ₹8100 crore on the scheme at present.
Briefing media persons, minister of state (independent charge) for social welfare Asim Arun said the new system would bring about long-term changes in the social welfare sector, ensuring easy governance along with e-governance.
He said under the new system pensioners would not need to apply for the pension though their consent would be sought once. He said under the Family ID system, linked to 25-30 departments, the department would contact the would-be pensioners about three months before they attain the age of 60 .
The minister said the process to sanction, getting their income certificate, would be completed within 15 days and the state government aims at disbursing the pension to the Aadhaar-linked bank accounts from the month of their eligibility.
Arun also said the pensioners would have to give their biometric details and the village panchayat assistance and the common service centres would assist them. He said this was a fulfillment of the guarantee for social security pension. The pensioners would also be able to submit life certificates online, he added.
Under the revised process, a list of citizens turning 60 within the next 90 days will be generated automatically through Family ID data and sent to the social welfare department’s pension portal via API. The department will then seek consent through SMS, WhatsApp or phone calls. If beneficiaries do not respond digitally, gram panchayat assistants, common service centres or departmental staff will contact them in person. Those who fail to give consent at both stages will be excluded.
The government will also launch a mobile app functioning as a digital passbook, allowing beneficiaries to track all payments, the minister said.
Flat ₹500 to be charged on rentpacts of up to ₹2 lakh for a year
The state cabinet approved a proposal to relax norms of the Uttar Pradesh Regulation of Urban Premises Regulation Act 2021 and encourage the tenants and building owners to register rent agreements with a drastic cut in stamp duty and registration fees. As rent agreements are generally not registered and often signed for 11 months to avoid stamp duty or other fees, the state cabinet has decided to fix an amount for levying stamp duty and charging the registration fee. As of now, the rent agreements for a one-year term with an annual rent value up to ₹2 lakh attract a 4% stamp duty—2% as base duty and 2% as additional duty—amounting to around ₹8,000. Now, a flat sum of ₹ 500 would be charged on rent agreements on a rent of up to ₹ 2 lakh for one year, ₹1500 for one year to five years and ₹ 2000 for rent agreements signed for more than five years to 10 years. In case of rent value of ₹ 2 lakh to ₹6 lakh, ₹1500 would be charged on agreement up to one year, ₹ 4500 on rent agreements valid for more than one year to five years and ₹ 7500 on agreements for five to 10 years.
A sum of ₹ 2500 would be charged as stamp duty on rent agreements of ₹ 6 lakh to ₹ 10 lakh for one year. This would be ₹ 6000 on rent agreements for one to five years and ₹10,000 on rent agreements for more than five years to 10 years. A maximum registration fee equivalent to stamp duty would also be payable in every category.
