Telangana extends ‘Instant pension’ facility beyond old-age pension category for women

In a move aimed at providing financial security to women who lose their spouses, the Telangana government has extended the ‘instant pension’ facility to more categories of social security pensioners, enabling eligible women to receive pensions immediately following the death of their pensioner husbands.

The decision will benefit the families of persons with disabilities, toddy tappers, handloom weavers, dialysis patients and those affected by HIV and filariasis. “Until now, the facility was available only to the wives of deceased old-age pensioners.

The government has now extended it to other major social security pension categories and issued guidelines through the Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Department,” said an official. Under the revised guidelines issued a couple of days ago, women below 57 years of age will be eligible for widow pensions following the death of their pensioner husbands, while those aged 57 and above will be sanctioned old-age pensions.

Applicants in rural areas must submit their applications to the respective Panchayat Secretaries, while those in urban areas should approach the Bill Collectors. The applications must be accompanied by the wife’s Aadhaar card, the first page of her bank passbook, the deceased husband’s Aadhaar card and his death certificate.

The officials concerned will verify the documents and upload the details on the Cheyutha portal. Pensions will be sanctioned after verification of eligibility. The decision was aimed at providing financial security to women who lose their spouses and ensuring that social security assistance to their families continued without interruption.