Old Age Pension Andhra Pradesh – How to Apply, Eligibility, Status

The old age pension scheme in Andhra Pradesh which was meant to ease the burden of the old -aged people below the poverty line. It has been in effect ever since the 1980s. what was earlier called the National old age pension scheme (NOPAS) was renamed as Indira Gandhi National old age pension scheme (IGNOAPS).

This is a non-contributory pension scheme also called as the NTR Bharosa pension,  in which the old aged, below poverty line people of Andhra Pradesh, receive a pension. Chandrababu Naidu the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh increased the pension amount under the scheme which was Rs.200 to Rs.1000 in the year 2014.

 In lieu of the general elections as well as the assembly election that is to be held in 2019, the pension, the amount has been increased from Rs.1000 to Rs.2000 in January 2019 by Chandrababu Naidu. This move is expected to benefit at least 5 million people in Andhra Pradesh. However, the recent government that came into power in Andhra Pradesh under the chief minister ship of Jaganmohan Reddy, has not only increased the pension amount from Rs.2000-Rs.2500  from June 2019. Similarly, he has also reduced the age for receiving the pension from 65-58. This means that from July 1, 2019 people who are below the poverty line aged 58 and more would receive the pension amount of Rs.2500.

 Who can apply?- Eligibility criteria

There are a number of pension scheme that covers a myriad of downtrodden under the NTR Bharosa scheme. However, the eligibility criteria for old age pension include

• Male or female residents of Andhra Pradesh who are either 65 years or more years old. It is likely to be for residents of Andhra who are either 58 or more years old living under the poverty line from July 2019.
• They should be destitute or people below the poverty line.

Application process

 The steps involved in applying for the NTR Bharosa Scheme Old age pension include

• Applying for the scheme through the Grama panchayat officers. The application that is duly filled must be submitted along with the documents that are essential.
• The application submitted to the Grama panchayat officer is then verified by the Janmabhoomi committee which among other responsibilities are in charge of implementing government welfare schemes as well.
• The list of applicants who are eligible is then uploaded by the MPDO OR Municipal commissioner to the DRDA. It is done by logging on to DRDA.
• In rural areas, the MPDO Mandal Parishad Development officer is the sanctioning authority after the application has been verified by the Janmabhoomi committee.
• In urban areas, the municipal commissioner is the sanctioning authority. However, only after recommendations from Janmabhoomi committees.
• The MPDO/municipal commissioner would then release funds to the panchayat secretary in the rural areas and bill collector in urban areas.
• When the pension is sanctioned, the applicant would be provided with a pensioner ID this makes it possible to access details of the petitioner Online.
• The pension amount would be distributed to the eligible applicants by the bill collector and the panchayat secretary respectively.
• The pension deployment officers have been provided with biometric tabs to disburse and record the same.
• The amount would be disbursed on the particular time and place on the 1^st day of every month.
• Rupay card is provided to the pensioners and money is distributed through mini ATM’S AS

Documents to be submitted

Documents to be submitted for old age pension scheme include under NTR bharosa scheme include

• Photo of the applicant
• Aadhar number of the applicant
• Bank details of the applicant.
• Age proof

Checking the status of the application for old age pension online.

The steps involved in checking the status of the application  include

• Logging on to the official website of https://treasury.ap.gov.in/pensions/index.php?service=PPOEDITLS.
• Click the option you want at the top of the page
• Select the pension scheme and type your Aadhar number
• Fill the name, panchayat, mandal or name of the house
• Click on the search option

You can use these simple steps to check the status of your application.