Kerala CM Vijayan: Govt distributed Rs 57,500 crore as welfare pensions in last seven years

Thus, interventions for their welfare are essential, he stressed.Great attention should be paid to their care and well-being...the state government is committed in this regard.

Amid intense criticisms from the opposition regarding the irregular distribution of social welfare pensions, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Tuesday that a total of Rs 57,500 crore has been distributed by his government in this regard over the last seven years.

More than Rs 23,000 crore has been distributed as welfare pension during the tenure of the present government itself, he said.

There are a total of 55 lakh beneficiaries under five categories of social welfare pensions in Kerala, Vijayan noted.

Speaking during the Chief Minister's Face-to-Face program with elderly people in the state capital, he emphasised that there were a higher number of senior citizens in Kerala compared to other states in the country, with many households now occupied only by the elderly. Thus, interventions for their welfare are essential, he stressed.

''Great attention should be paid to their care and well-being...the state government is committed in this regard. That's why strong action is taken in cases related to cruelty towards elderly people,'' the CM said.

He said that welfare pensions are provided not only to government employees but also to various sections of people in Kerala including agricultural labourers, poor women, differently-abled persons, and those aged above 60 years.

''The state government does not consider welfare and service pensions as a liability. It is a means for ensuring social security. It's a humanitarian intervention by the government,'' Vijayan added.