Government to increase elderly pension, scholarship for students

To appease the voters ahead of municipal elections, the Delhi government has decided to increase the pension amount for senior citizens and widows and the scholarship given to students.

To appease the voters ahead of municipal elections, the Delhi government has decided to increase the pension amount for senior citizens and widows and the scholarship given to students.

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The government has decided to double the scholarship amount in respect of Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe/Other Backward Classes/Minorities students studying in class 11 and 12 in the Capital. Close to 70,000 students are also likely to benefit from this decision.

A decision in this regard was taken in a Cabinet meeting by the Delhi chief minister.

“The government is fully committed to uplift all poor families, including weaker sections. We have been concentrating on imparting education to such weaker sections of the society in order to empower them with the tool of purposeful education and training,” said a senior Delhi government official.

“The Cabinet has decided to increase the scholarship amount given to SC, ST, OBC and minority students in classes 11 and 12. This will cost the government around R25 crore,” the official added. Students scoring marks between 55 per cent and 60 per cent will be provided R1,620 every year and those scoring between 55 per cent and 70 per cent marks in class 10 will get R3,000 every year.

The students scoring 60 per cent and more in class 10 will be given R2,040, while those scoring 70 per cent and more in class 10 will be given R4,500 per annum as scholarship.

The Delhi chief minister said that the monthly pension being provided to senior citizens and widows belonging to SC, ST, OBC category and minorities will also undergo an upward revision, with the same increasing from R1,000 to R1,500 per month.

In addition to this, in order to extend more help to the widows at the time of marriage of their daughters, the Cabinet has also decided to raise the existing financial assistance amount from R25,000 to R30,000 per month.