Ahead of local body, assembly polls, Kerala govt announces welfare pension hike

Thiruvananthapuram | With local body elections approaching in Kerala, the state's Left government on Wednesday unveiled a package of financial measures -- including an increase in welfare pensions, higher honorariums for ASHA workers, and a new women's security scheme -- aimed at broadening social support.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the cabinet has taken additional steps for the welfare of the people and they include, increasing the various social security and welfare pensions from Rs 1,600 to Rs 2,000, hiking the monthly honorarium of ASHA workers by Rs 1,000 and launching a new scheme for financially supporting women from poor families.

The decision, which comes as political parties in the state also prepare for the Assembly polls next year, was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Vijayan.

The Chief Minister, at a press conference here, announced that all of them would come into effect from November 1, the 'Piravi' or formation day of the state.

He said that despite the financial restrictions imposed on the state by the central government and the false propaganda spread by right-wing forces, the Left administration was introducing the new packages in keeping with its obligations to the public and the promises made during the 2021 elections.

Vijayan said that the first decision of the state cabinet in 2021 was to eradicate extreme poverty in Kerala, and that this objective would be achieved on November 1.

He said that the government sets aside Rs 13,000 crore every year for payment of the various social security and welfare pensions, which have around 62 lakh beneficiaries in the state.

The CM said that the increase in the honorarium of the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers, a group of whom has been protesting for over 250 days outside the Kerala secretariat for increased monetary benefits, will result in an extra yearly expenditure of Rs 250 crore for the state.

Besides ASHA workers, the monthly honorarium or salary of Anganwadi workers and helpers, literacy promoters, cooking workers, pre-primary teachers and nannies and guest workers have also been increased, he said.

Under the Women Security Scheme, women aged between 35 and 60 years belonging to the AAY (yellow card) and PHH (priority category -- pink card) groups, who are not currently receiving any social welfare pension, will be granted a monthly Women's Security Pension of Rs 1,000.

Vijayan said that around 31.34 lakh women will benefit from the initiative, for which the government has earmarked Rs 3,800 crore annually.

In addition to this, the cabinet approved two other significant measures -- a 'Connect to Work Scholarship' to help young men and women secure better employment opportunities and a monthly operational grant for Kudumbashree Area Development Societies (ADSs) across the state.

Besides these, the cabinet also decided to raise the minimum support price of rubber from Rs 180 per kg to Rs 200 per kg.

The minimum support price for rubber was last increased from Rs 170 to Rs 180 per kilogram in the 2024-25 budget, just ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

The new financial benefits also included scholarships and financial allocations for students from the minority communities, health related grants and schemes, and clearing the dues of several projects implemented through the Kerala Social Security Mission.

Additionally, he said that the government has already paid two installments of the DA and DR arrears of state government employees, teachers and pensioners in this financial year and a third one will also be paid in this fiscal year.

While the earlier installments paid 2 and 3 per cent of the arrears, the third installment will pay out 4 per cent of the arrears, he said.

According to the CM, all these measures have been taken, despite the central government's financial restrictions, in order to ensure the welfare of the people, which is the obligation of the government that was voted to power for a second consecutive term by the people.

While the opposition Congress termed the government's decision as an "election stunt" ahead of the local body polls in the coming months and the Assembly elections next year, State Finance Minister K N Balagopal rejected the allegation, saying if it were an election stunt, the measures would have been announced in the budget to be presented ahead of the Assembly polls.

"This is a farce, coming just before the elections. No one will take it seriously. It's an election stunt. The ruling front knows very well that it doesn't have the means to provide these benefits, and it is simply placing the burden on the next government," senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said.

Balagopal said that the new announcements made by the government would inevitably bring significant financial commitments, but the government would move forward with confidence.

He said that questions might arise about how these schemes would be implemented. However, he added that all the announcements were made with full confidence.

"If these measures were presented in the budget, they would have been labelled as an election stunt. That is why they have been introduced now, in a way that allows them to take effect from November," Balagopal told reporters here.