Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that every poor, farmer, elderly person and destitute woman should get the benefit of welfare schemes of the government without any discrimination and no one should be deprived of basic amenities in the state.
“It is the intention of the government that every poor, farmer, elderly person and destitute woman should get the benefit of the welfare schemes of the government without any discrimination. In this sequence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also released schemes from time to time to benefit people. No one will be deprived of basic necessities or die of hunger in Uttar Pradesh,” Yogi said while transferring Rs 836.55 crore to 55.77 lakh beneficiaries of National Old Age Pension Scheme.
In an event organised through virtual medium, the chief minister said, “I am happy to inform you that out of these beneficiaries there are 4.56 lakh new beneficiaries. The quarterly installment is being sent to these accounts for the first time. Elderly people have a wealth of experiences. They are our guide. The Central and the state governments are working with a sense of service to manage the life and livelihood of each and every senior citizen. Whether the elderly need ration or medical treatment at the time of illness, everything is being provided free of cost. Not only this, ‘Elderly Helpline 14567’ (Elderline) has been specially issued, where any senior citizen can contact and get help 24×7.”
The chief minister also interacted with old age pension beneficiaries of various districts through virtual medium and enquired about their health. He also instructed the district magistrates to provide the benefit of Ayushman Bharat or Chief Minister Jan Arogya Yojana to every needy.
Yogi said that the elderly were neglected during the previous regimes which refused to pay attention to them, but today all efforts were being made for bringing about happiness into their lives. He added that over 29 lakh new elderly people have been able to join the old age pension scheme in the last four years.
Earlier, Social Welfare Minister Ramapati Shastri presented a brief description of departmental activities, while the vote of thanks was proposed by Minister of state Dr GS Dharmesh.
Elders, who received three months' installment of old age pension at one go, expressed their gratitude. Prahlad of Maharajganj said that this was the first time that he was getting pension. Basanti of Sonbhadra thanked the chief minister for the medical arrangement, while Mani Ram of Sultanpur thanked Yogi for free ration and pension.