Puducherry's State Chief Announces Monthly Assistance of $87.52 for Centenarians

Last week, Puducherry state chief Natesan Krishnasamy Rangasamy unveiled a budget of INR106,966Mln ($1,338,313) for the 2022-23 fiscal year in the territorial assembly. The budget included several welfare schemes including monthly aid of INR1,000 ($12.51) for female-headed households below the poverty line and free laptops for school pupils.

Natesan Krishnasamy Rangasamy, the chief of Indian union territory of Puducherry, announced on Monday that a monthly assistance of INR7,000 ($87.52) will be granted to those aged 100 and above. He was speaking in the legislative assembly during the ongoing budget session.

Answering a question by opposition leader Ragavapillai Siva during the Question Hour of the Assembly, Rangasamy said there were very few centenarians in the Union Territory and they would get assistance.

"There are only seven people who have turned 100 and they would get the assistance through the Department of Women and Child Development which is now tasked with the implementation of the old-age pension to elderly people," he said.

Furthermore, Rangasamy said the government would raise the assistance from INR3,500 ($43.76) to INR4,000 ($50.01) a month for senior citizens between the age of 95 and 100 years.

At present, the Puducherry government is providing monthly assistance of INR3,500 ($43.76) to senior citizens who are 80 years old and above, and INR2,500 ($31.28) to those in the age group of 60 to 79 years.

He also informed the Assembly that as many as 15,000 applications, received under different categories seeking monthly assistance, would be approved soon and these additional beneficiaries would get assistance in a month's time.

Last week on Friday, Rangasamy also announced that a monthly pension to freedom fighters will be raised to INR1,000 ($12.51).