Bhubaneswar, May 21: In a significant move to support senior citizens and persons with severe disabilities, the Odisha government has decided to increase the monthly pension to Rs 3,500 for beneficiaries aged 80 and above, as well as those with more than 80% disability, starting from June 2025, according to an official notification.
The notification, issued by the Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) Department, outlines that the enhanced pension will be disbursed under the state’s social welfare schemes. Beneficiaries enrolled in the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) and the Madhu Babu Pension Scheme (MBPS) will now receive the increased monthly pension, a significant rise from the previous amount of Rs 1,500.
In a directive issued on Tuesday, the SSEPD Department instructed all District Social Security Officers (DSSOs) to begin implementing the enhanced pension from June, based on a list of eligible beneficiaries provided by the sub-collectors. The DSSOs have been tasked with approving the revised pension amounts and sending the necessary documentation to the department for further processing. This increase will be applied retroactively, effective from January 2025.
The decision to enhance the pension was part of the promises made in the BJP's election manifesto and was officially announced by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi during his inaugural budget presentation in the assembly in July 2024. In the budget, the government allocated Rs 7,600 crore for various pension schemes.
