Punjab Allocates ₹6175 Crore for Social Security Pensions in FY 2025–26: Dr. Baljit Kaur
₹1539 Crore Disbursed to 34.40 Lakh Beneficiaries Till May; Minister Urges Timely Completion of Elderly Survey
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, June 20, 2025 –
Reaffirming its commitment to the welfare of senior citizens, the Punjab Government has made a budgetary provision of ₹6175 crore for social security pensions in the current financial year. Of this, ₹1539 crore has already been disbursed as regular pensions to 34.40 lakh beneficiaries under the Old Age Pension Scheme till May 2025, Social Security, Women and Child Development Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur announced today.
Chairing a high-level review meeting with senior and field officials of the department at Kisan Bhawan, the Minister directed that all eligible beneficiaries must receive pensions without any delay. She issued strict instructions to expedite the ongoing ‘Saade Buzurg Saada Maan’ survey and ensure its prompt completion.
Dr. Kaur emphasized the need for accurate data collection and said that any pension amounts remaining in the bank accounts of deceased beneficiaries must be recovered and redirected to support new applicants.
Over 43,000 New Pension Approvals for FY 2025–26
The Minister further informed that 43,644 new pension applications have been approved for the financial year 2025–26. She directed officials to process these applications with full transparency and accountability. “Timely disbursal of pensions is a top priority, and any delays will not be tolerated,” she asserted.
Focus on Monitoring and Public Awareness
To ensure the effective implementation of welfare schemes, Dr. Baljit Kaur called for rigorous grassroots monitoring and proactive public awareness campaigns. She urged district and departmental officers to maintain transparency and efficiency in all operations and to expand outreach to ensure no eligible beneficiary is left behind.
Present at the meeting were Special Chief Secretary of the Department Rajiv P. Shrivastava, IAS; Director Dr. Sheena Aggarwal, IAS; along with other senior officers from the head office and district-level units.