The Women and Child Development Department of the West Bengal government provides named West Bengal Old Age Pension, which is a monthly pension of Rs 1,000 to eligible senior citizens in the state. Of some 15.73 lakh pension accounts, around 15.24 lakh beneficiaries receive the monthly pension in their registered bank accounts, while the rest, around 27,300, receive it in their post office savings accounts. The scheme aims to provide financial security to the older people who live below the poverty line.

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All financial disbursements are made electronically into the beneficiaries’ bank accounts. Here are some salient features of the old pension scheme of the West Bengal government:

Eligibility 

The old pension scheme is available only for the permanent residents of West Bengal. The beneficiary must be 60 years old and above and must be from the economically weaker section of the society or living below the poverty line (BPL). They should also have no support from family members and relatives. Those who are differently-abled or mentally challenged become eligible for the scheme by reducing at the age of 55.

Exclusions

Those receiving disability, widow, farmer, and other state or central government pensionsin both rural and urban areas are excluded from the scheme. This screening process is done to ensure that only the eligible beneficiary receives the old age pension, as there are other schemes for other category of people or needy in the state.

Documents Required

Those applying for the scheme must require to submit a self-attested copy of the Aadhaar card, ration card, the voter ID, income certificate, husband’s death certificate, bank pass book, the nomination form (in case of death), and a passport size photograph.

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Application Process

To apply for the scheme, the applicant can obtain the Form-P for free from either a Block Development Officer (BDO), the executive officer of the Panchayat, the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) of the municipality or the Controller of Vagrancy. After filling out the application form and attaching copies of the necessary documents, the applicant must submit them to any of the relevant offices of the district magistrate, BDO, the Panchayat executive officer’s office (in case of a rural area), or the SDO for those living in the municipalities, etc. The form must be addressed to the appropriate officer of the particular area for quick processing.