BJP Never Framed Welfare Schemes for Electoral Gains; Congress Used Elderly Pension for Vote-Bank Politics: Chief Minister
CM Sets Record Straight on Old-Age Pension, Slams Opposition for Deliberate Misinformation
The Prime Minister has shown unparalleled affection and respect towards the elderly
Over One Lakh Pensions Stopped Due to the Death of Beneficiaries-CM
Chandigarh-, February 10- Haryana Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday strongly refuted the Congress party’s claims regarding the alleged cancellation of old-age pensions in the state, calling them baseless, misleading, and politically motivated.
Addressing a press conference, the Chief Minister said that ensuring direct financial support to the poor and elderly is the firm guarantee of the double-engine government under the leadership of Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi. The guarantee that money reaches directly into the accounts of the poor is Modi ji’s guarantee, and the people of the country have immense faith in it. Congress has opened a shop of lies. They wake up every morning and start spreading misinformation, the Chief Minister said, adding that the Haryana government is working continuously and without pause for public welfare.
Taking strong exception to repeated statements by Congress leaders claiming that pensions of two lakh elderly citizens have been discontinued, the Chief Minister said such remarks are a deliberate attempt to create confusion among senior citizens. Congress leaders are repeatedly making false claims. The welfare and dignity of our elderly citizens is our top priority, he asserted.
The Chief Minister reiterated that both the Union and the Haryana government are deeply committed to the well-being of senior citizens above 70 years of age. If our elderly face health issues, their families need not worry. Their treatment and care are the responsibility of the Modi government and the Haryana government.
Old age pension in Punjab is only Rs. 1,500
The Chief Minister said that the old age pension in Punjab is only Rs. 1,500. Targeting the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab, he said that the government promised the people that it would increase the pension to Rs. 2,500, but did nothing. The BJP government, on the other hand, did what it promised, and today the highest pension in the country is being given by the Haryana Government.
Congress and INLD did Nothing in Power, Now Playing Victim Politics
Sh. Nayab Singh Saini said that whether it was the Congress or the INLD, they failed to deliver anything when they were in power. He said that pensions were increased only in a token manner during their regimes. Using a political metaphor, the Chief Minister remarked that on the issue of pensions, they are trying to “cut a finger and project themselves as martyrs,” meaning they are attempting to gain sympathy by creating a false narrative instead of showing real work. He further clarified that the BJP government in Haryana has never imposed any income slab. Despite this, he said, efforts are being made to mislead the common people with baseless allegations.
Biggest increase in Pension amount in the last 11 Years
Highlighting the government’s commitment, the Chief Minister pointed out that during INLD’s five-year rule, pension was increased by only Rs. 200, and during Congress’s ten-year tenure, by Rs. 700. In the last 11 years, we have increased the old-age pension from Rs.1,000 to Rs. 3,200 per month, an unprecedented increase of Rs. 2,200, he said.
Opposition Trying to Mislead People with False Claims
The Chief Minister said that over the past few days, certain opposition leaders have been running a misleading campaign. Referring to the claim made by the Congress that the pensions of two lakh people had been cut, the Chief Minister said it was necessary to place facts before the people of Haryana. He said that as per rules, pension benefits are automatically discontinued after the death of a beneficiary. Out of the two lakh cases cited by the Opposition, more than 1.03 lakh cases pertain to beneficiaries who had already passed away. He said that due to a technical issue on the Registrar General of India portal, data regarding deaths in Haryana was not available from October 2024. Once the data was received in November 2025, pensions in these cases had to be discontinued in one consolidated exercise.
The Chief Minister shared that in nearly 37,000 cases, beneficiaries were found to be below 60 years of age. These individuals had manipulated their age in Aadhaar records to fraudulently obtain pension benefits. Their pensions have been discontinued, and action has been initiated against those involved in tampering with government databases. However, he clarified that if any of these beneficiaries submit valid proof showing they are above 60 years of age, their pensions will be immediately restored.
The Chief Minister further shared that in 39,000 cases, income-based eligibility had not been verified by the local and sector-level committees. He emphasised that these pensions have not been cancelled, but only temporarily discontinued. He assured that once income certificates are submitted, verification will be completed promptly and pensions will be restored if eligibility is confirmed.
We did not impose an Income Capping on Old-Age Pension
Responding to another Opposition claim, the Chief Minister categorically stated that the present government did not impose the income capping on old-age pensions. He said an income limit was first introduced on August 13, 1992, during the Congress government, when the annual income limit was fixed at Rs. 10,000 and the pension amount was just Rs. 100 per month. At that time, around 6.50 lakh elderly persons were beneficiaries. The INLD government increased the pension to Rs. 200 per month in 1999 and Rs. 300 per month in 2004, but continued with the same Rs. 10,000 annual income limit.
The Chief Minister recalled that by March 2004, around 9.03 lakh elderly persons were receiving pensions. He said that even after Congress returned to power in 2005, the income cap remained unchanged. Though the pension was increased to Rs. 500 per month in March 2009, the annual income limit remained unchanged. These facts show that earlier governments wanted to restrict the number of beneficiaries.
The Chief Minister said that it was only in March 2012, that the Congress government raised the pension to Rs. 1,000 per month and increased the income limit to Rs 2 lakh in the year 2014, ahead of elections. He informed that on April 5, 2023, the present government further enhanced the annual income limit from Rs. 2 lakh to Rs. 3 lakh, which remains in force today. As a result, the number of beneficiaries increased to 17.98 lakh by June 2023, adding over 5.1 lakh new elderly beneficiaries. The Chief Minister said that the number of old-age pension beneficiaries has now risen to 20,31,367. This means that compared to the Congress regime, 6.68 lakh more elderly citizens are receiving pensions today, and compared to the INLD period, the number has increased by 11.28 lakh, he said.
Co-operation Minister, Dr. Arvind Sharma, Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Minister, Sh. Shyam Singh Rana, Social Justice & Empowerment Minister, Sh. Krishan Kumar Bedi, Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Sh. Rajesh Khullar, Additional Chief Secretary, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, Sh. Raja Sekhar Vundru, Additional Chief Secretary, Social Justice, Empowerment, Welfare of Scheduled Castes & Backward Classes and Antyodaya (SEWA) Department, Smt. G. Anupama, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Sh. Arun Kumar Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary, Cooperation Department, Sh. Vijayendra Kumar, Media Secretary to the Chief Minister, Sh. Praveen Attrey also remained present on this occasion.