Jharkhand: Old-age pension qualifying age reduced to just 50 years
In a major announcement, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced on Friday that the state government has decided to reduce the qualifying age for old-age pension to 50 years from 60. He was addressing a gathering at Ranchi's Morabadi Ground on his government's fourth anniversary. Soren added that 75% of jobs will be reserved for locals in companies that establish their offices in Jharkhand.
Why does this story matter?
The announcement came on the completion of four years of the Soren-led Jharkhandi government, which came into power in December 2019. To be eligible under the revised old-age pension scheme, the pensioner must meet only two criteria other than being over 50 years old. Firstly, the individual should not be income tax payers. Secondly, they should not be beneficiaries of any other pension scheme.
Soren brags about Ranchi's infrastructural development
Soren also stated the people of Jharkhand are the ones who "form the government," adding he was only an "instrument" to deliver their rights to their doorstep. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader further claimed, "The people of Ranchi have been forced to crawl on the streets for the past years... But today, flyovers are being constructed at a rapid pace in Ranchi."
Here's what CM Soren posted on X
Pension benefits to 36 lakh people in 4 years: Soren
Meanwhile, Soren claimed only 16 lakh people had received pension benefits since the state's formation in 2000 until his government came to power. However, the incumbent JMM-Congress coalition government has provided pensions to 36 lakh people above 60 in the past four years, he claimed. Soren also bashed the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regime in Jharkhand and alleged the "double-engine" government "destroyed everything."
Jharkhand's pension scheme in numbers
Currently, the state government provides pensions to people across five categories, reportedly spending Rs. 2,400 crore on these schemes in financial year 2022-23 alone. As of March 2023, 14.25 lakh beneficiaries were paid under the Old Age Pension scheme, a significant rise from 3.45 lakh in December 2019. Besides old people, Jharkhand offers pensions to vulnerable tribal groups, women, disabled persons, and HIV/AIDS patients.
Soren on Jharkhand's unity during crises
On a separate note, Soren added that Jharkhand is the country's poorest state, which struggled with drought and also suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there was no chaos in the state government despite crises, he claimed. The CM also said that poor states like Jharkhand provided oxygen to other states, and the government saved poor laborers during the pandemic despite losing two ministers.
