Three years after the Congress promised a Rs 4,000 monthly pension, senior citizens in Telangana are still waiting for the promised increase.
During the 2023 Assembly elections, Congress promised to raise the old-age pension from Rs 2,016 to Rs 4,000. The promise was linked to the Cheyutha scheme.
However, the higher pension has not been implemented. Fresh enrolment for senior citizens under the scheme is also not open.
The State government recently invited applications for new pensions under Cheyutha. But senior citizens and three other categories were excluded from the current enrolment process.
The number of senior citizens receiving the Rs 2,016 pension has also fallen. Before 2023, around 16.44 lakh senior citizens received the pension. The number stood at 14.65 lakh by July 2026.
Officials cited several reasons for the decline. These include deaths, beneficiaries not being traced, people moving to other States and some beneficiaries not wanting the pension.
As of July 30, 2026, 76,372 beneficiaries were removed due to deaths, while 45,134 could not be traced
