BY TC News Desk
Agartala, December 30: The state government has declared its decision to extend a monthly social allowance of Rs 2,000 to an additional 29,410 individuals by January 2024. The announcement was made by the Minister of Social Welfare and Social Education, Tinku Roy, during a press conference held at the Secretariat here on Saturday.
The expansion of social allowance coverage is set to incur an annual additional cost of Rs 786 crore for the state government. Minister Tinku Roy highlighted that this initiative aims to reach out to various sections of society in need of financial assistance.
Among the newly identified beneficiaries, a breakdown of allowances was provided by the Minister. Out of the 29,410 individuals, 1,653 will receive the widow’s allowance, 5,388 will be entitled to husband’s abandoned allowance, and 14,197 will benefit from the old age allowance. Additionally, 420 unmarried women and 1,946 persons with disabilities (divyang) will also be included in the social allowance program.
Minister Tinku Roy acknowledged that a portion of the new recipients, totaling 5,806, will fall under existing social allowance schemes in the state. The total number of individuals set to receive the social allowance is confirmed at 29,410. The Minister assured that the disbursement of the allowance will commence from the first month of the upcoming year.
It is worth noting that the decision follows the Chief Minister’s earlier announcement to provide a monthly social allowance of Rs 2,000 to 30,000 people in the state. However, the actual number has been adjusted to 29,410 due to discrepancies in the documents of some potential beneficiaries, preventing them from availing social benefits. The government remains committed to extending support to those in need and rectifying any administrative oversights.
