Assam Universal Old Age Pension Scheme

The Assam Government has declared a universal old age pension scheme, for all the state's senior citizens. Under this scheme, senior citizens receive a monthly pension of Rs. 300. This scheme applies to all senior citizens of the state, not taking into consideration their caste, income, community and religion. Assam Universal Old Age Pension Scheme assures financial security to the old age people, where they can live with dignity. This article highlights the features and benefits of Assam Universal Old Age Pension Scheme.

Objective of the Scheme

The primary purpose of this scheme is to aid the old age people of the State, during their retirement period. The project is intended for both categories of the people in the state. Despite their financial situations, the government is taking initiatives to support the welfare of senior citizens

Highlights of Assam Universal Old Age Pension Scheme

The characteristic features of the universal old age scheme are as follows.

The State Government has launched this scheme for the welfare of the senior citizens of the State.
The scheme has been started by the Government under the Assam Special Land Act 1990.
The decision was taken in the cabinet meeting that was held on 25th September 2018.
A sum of Rs. 300 per month will be distributed by the Government to all eligible citizens.
The scheme also offers other benefits to its citizens such as ten paise tea cess will be provided to workers who are working in small tea gardens by the Government.
The money would be directly deposited in the beneficiaries bank account.
The scheme is for both categories of society, people who are above the poverty line (APL) and people who are below the poverty line (BPL).
Assam Universal Old Age Pension Scheme would be beneficial for all pensioners of the state to meet their financial requirements.
The scheme was launched on 2nd October 2018.

Eligibility Criteria Assam Universal Old Age Pension Scheme

All citizens passing the following eligibility standards can avail the benefits of the scheme.

The applicants have to be residents of the State.
The applicants have to be senior citizens, that is above 60 years of age.
The annual family income has to be less than three lakhs.
The candidate must possess an APL or BPL card.
All senior citizens being a member of any caste, religion, community and financial status can apply to this scheme.

Documents Required

The following documents have to be possessed by the candidates to avail the benefits of the scheme.

Residential certificate
Income certificate
Aadhaar card
Below Poverty Line card or Average Poverty Line card
Bank Details
- Account number
- IFSC
- Branch name

Benefits of Assam Universal Old Age Pension Scheme

The eligible candidates can avail the following benefits from the scheme.

All senior citizens of the State receive a monthly pension of Rs. 300.
The candidate can be a member of the Below Poverty line or Above Poverty Line.
The workers working in Government tea plantation stations can avail an exemption of 10 paise tea cess.
All tea growers who are exporting tea from the Export Tea Centre in the Amingaon in the State get Rs. 6/kg rebate as agriculture income tax to improve tea export promotion.

Other Initiatives

It has to be noted that the officials have taken other initiatives with the implementation of this scheme. The cabinet has decided to bring an amendment in the Assam GST Act to increase the annual turnover limit for compulsory registration under the legislation from Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 20 lakh. There is a cabinet recommendation for Sports University Bill to set up a sports university at Chabua that is named after Aniruddha Dev. In addition to this, the cabinet has decided that the Inland Water Transport Authority Bill will be established for regulating and inspecting all the vessels for their safety measures.

Application Procedure

The Assam Government has not released any information regarding the application procedure for this scheme. The officials are further expanding its implementation procedure. Once all the details are clarified, the eligible candidates can apply for the project in the State Government's portal. Know more about Madhya Pradesh Old Age Pension Scheme