The Telangana government was the only government in the country to launch welfare schemes such as pension for single women for the betterment of society, said Minister for Finance and Civil Supplies Eatala Rajender.
Distributing pension to single women at a programme in Karimnagar town on Sunday, Mr. Rajender said the government was proving pension to senior citizens, widows, disabled persons, and beedi workers. Following petitions on the plight of single women deserted by their husbands and relatives, the government decided to distribute pension of ₹1,000 per month to such women on humanitarian grounds.
Stating that the earlier government had spent only ₹800 crore on pension to 29 lakh beneficiaries, he said the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government was providing pension to 38 lakh persons spending ₹5,600 crore per annum. The government had also increased the Kalyana Laxmi and Shaadi Mubarak scheme amount from ₹50,116 to ₹75,116.
Mr. Rajender also announced that children of single women would be admitted into all Telangana Residential Educational Institutions without having to write an examination or waiting for the lottery system. The beneficiaries would get the pension in their bank accounts every month.
Presiding over the meeting, Karimnagar legislator Gangula Kamalakar said the government had sanctioned pension for 324 women in Karimnagar town. It would be a continuous process, he said, urging all single women to apply for the same.
Collector Sarfaraz Ahmad said that they had sanctioned 2,700-odd pensions to such women in the district. MLC Naradasu Laxman Rao, Mayor S. Ravinder Singh, and Municipal Commissioner K. Shashanka were also present. The women, who received pensions, were praising the State government for recognising them and honouring them with pension. They urged the government to accord priority in providing employment to single women.
In Adilabad: Forest Minister Jogu Ramanna on Sunday launched the pension for single-women scheme at the Revenue garden function hall in Adilabad on Sunday.
The State government was committed to the welfare of all. The pension would go a long way in helping single women, especially those who faced difficulties, Mr. Ramanna said.
Meanwhile, Housing Minister A. Indrakaran Reddy launched the scheme at Nirmal.
In Nizamabad: At a programme held for distribution of pension to single-women at Banswada in Kamareddy district on Sunday, Agriculture Minister P. Srinivas Reddy said that the pension scheme introduced by the State government was a continual effort.
He said Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao would consider the appeal to bring married women separated from husbands within the ambit of the scheme.
No State other than Telangana entitled the aged and widows to a pension of ₹1,000. Around ₹5,000 crore has been spent for welfare pensions in the State. In Kamareddy district, 1.46 lakh pensions under different categories were sanctioned earlier, and now 3,500 pensions were being given to single women.
In Banswada constituency alone, 1,447 such pensions were sanctioned and the nutrition of pregnant women at all Anganwadi centres was taken care of. Mr. Reddy said the government had accorded top priority to women’s welfare and ‘KCR Kits’ reflected the commitment.
The Minister said every household would be provided with 100 litres of pure drinking water per day per head under Mission Bhagiratha by next year. As many as 1,000 double-bedroom houses were allocated for the constituency and work was in progress, he said.
Earlier in the day, at a programme held at Rajiv Gandhi Auditorium here, Mr. Reddy gave pension papers to single women . Similar functions were held at the Kamareddy district headquarters where Chief Whip Gampa Govardhan and Collector N. Satyanarayana participated.
In Siddipet: Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao said the pension scheme for single-women makes a difference in the lives of such women and improves their living conditions.
Addressing a gathering after launching the scheme here on Sunday, Mr. Rao said that the scheme was being implemented for the first time in the country and no other State has such a scheme.
The Minister gave pension papers to 836 women.
“In the past, the government used to offer ₹200 pension for only 26 lakh people. We have increased the amount to ₹1,000 and the number of beneficiaries have increased to 36 lakh,” said Mr. Rao.
Collector P. Venaktaram Reddy and others were also present.
At Medak, the scheme was launched by Deputy Speaker M. Padma Deveder Reddy and Collector Bharati Hollikeri. At Sangareddy, it was launched by MLA Chinta Prabhakar and Collector Manickraj Kannan.
In Rajanna-Sircilla: The district administration launched the pension for single-women scheme in Rajanna-Sircilla district on Sunday. A total of ₹31.80 lakh pension for April and May were distributed to 1,591 beneficiaries on the occasion.
Launching the scheme at a programme in Sircilla town on Sunday, Collector D. Krishna Bhaskar said the Telangana government was the first in the country to launch pension for single-women. He said they would provide pension to such women and informed them to approach the concerned authorities.
Joint Collector Yasmeen Basha said the pension would boost the morale of single women, adding that he would look into pending applications.
