Pension income ceiling enhanced to ₹1.20 lakh, set to benefit over 20 lakh people

The Karnataka government has announced an increase in the pension income ceiling to ₹1.20 lakh, a move set to benefit over 20 lakh individuals. Previously, the income limit for availing pensions under the Social Security Pension scheme was capped at ₹32,000. This decision comes after the government reviewed data from the Kutumba software, which initially flagged 23.14 lakh beneficiaries as suspicious.

Upon verification through the Sanyojane app, 18.06 lakh beneficiaries were disqualified due to missing addresses or lack of necessary documents, including income validation certificates. However, the actual verification revealed that a significant portion of beneficiaries, about 23.14 lakh, fell within the adjusted annual income bracket of ₹32,000 to ₹1.20 lakh.

Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara, who is in charge of Revenue, explained that the pension income ceiling had remained stagnant at ₹32,000 for a considerable period, leaving a large number of people outside the scheme. He emphasized that the new income ceiling would resolve this long-standing issue. Under this scheme, the government plans to continue disbursing pensions to 32.14 lakh beneficiaries whose annual income surpasses ₹32,000 but stays below ₹1.20 lakh. An official order was issued on Tuesday to implement this change.