Old Age Pension Himachal Pradesh – How To Apply, Eligibility, Status

The Indian government believes in the welfare state and for achieving this end it has formed various schemes for helping the citizens. IGNOAPS is one effort made by the state to provide financial assistance to senior citizens living in the area. A progressive state strongly believes in the welfare of its citizens and for this alone, the schemes established by the state are equal, transparent and of social value.

Rural Development Authority of India introduced IGNOAPS as a part of the national social assistance program. The main aim of this scheme is to provide social and economic benefits to the old, poor and weaker section of the society. IGNOAPS aims to provide assistance to senior citizens of the society by providing them with financial help.

Objectives of IGNOAPS

• As per IGNOAPS, the senior citizens of India will be entitled to receive a monthly pension
• This is a part of NSAP, wherein the eligible candidates are entitled to the pension given by the government without making any contribution. The pension is given to the eligible senior citizens without receiving any contribution from their end.

Who are eligible to apply for pension under IGNOAPS?

Under the scheme the government has clearly stated the criteria, which needs to be fulfilled to be eligible to receive a pension under the scheme

• The age of the candidate to be eligible must have completed 60 years of age or more. This scheme is applicable to all senior citizens irrespective of gender.
• The individual applying for benefits under the scheme but own a BPL card, in other terms the individual must be part of a home that is been living below the poverty line as prescribed by the government.
• The person to avail the benefits must not have any kind of financial assistance from other family members or whose annual income does not exceed 35,000
• The person applying for an old age pension must not be a BPL widow or BPL disability within the ages of 60 – 79. Such candidates are not eligible for an old age pension under the scheme.

Application procedure for old age pension under the scheme

• The application form for the scheme is available both offline and online. Click on the link to download the application form in the state of HP – https://himachal.nic.in/WriteReadData/l892s/9_l892s/scan0001-44250128.pdf. The form can also be collected from Social welfare department by the candidates living in rural area and district social welfare officer for eligible candidates living in urban areas.
• This form is available in Hindi, making it easy to fill by the individuals. Fill all the details in the form correctly and without any mistakes. The form must be duly signed by the candidate who is eligible for the pension.
• This form must be submitted along with birth proof, photos, bank account details, income status and BPL card. These documents are mandatory for submission. The application form is available free of cost, no need for paying any fee.
• The filled application form along with the documents must be submitted to the concerned social welfare officer in rural area and district social officer in urban area. While submitting the application it is mandatory to obtain a reference number to track the status.
• The pension will be granted after scrutiny by district level sanctioning committee.

How much pension is being given to the individuals under the scheme?

The pension amount given to the eligible candidates is contributed by both the central and state governments of India. In the state of Himachal Pradesh, the old age pension amount given to the individuals is based on their age. For citizens falling between the ages of 60 -79 will be credited with Rs. 200 by the central government and Rs. 550 by the state government, in total Rs. 750 per month is given as old age pension to the eligible candidates under this scheme. And for the eligible citizens above the age of 80 years are credited with Rs. 1300, in the ratio of 500: 800 by the central and state government respectively.