Congress Misleading People on Old-Age Pension, BJP Government Committed to Elderly Welfare- CM
Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh-
Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday strongly refuted the Congress party’s claims regarding the alleged cancellation of old-age pensions in the state, calling them baseless, misleading, and politically motivated.
Addressing a press conference, the Chief Minister said that ensuring direct financial support to the poor and elderly is the firm guarantee of the double-engine government under the leadership of Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi. The guarantee that money reaches directly into the accounts of the poor is Modi ji’s guarantee, and the people of the country have immense faith in it. Congress has opened a shop of lies. They wake up every morning and start spreading misinformation, the Chief Minister said, adding that the Haryana government is working continuously and without pause for public welfare.
Taking strong exception to repeated statements by Congress leaders claiming that pensions of two lakh elderly citizens have been discontinued, the Chief Minister said such remarks are a deliberate attempt to create confusion among senior citizens. Congress leaders are repeatedly making false claims. The welfare and dignity of our elderly citizens is our top priority, he asserted.
The Chief Minister reiterated that both the Union and the Haryana government are deeply committed to the well-being of senior citizens above 70 years of age. If our elderly face health issues, their families need not worry. Their treatment and care are the responsibility of the Modi government and the Haryana government.
Old age pension in Punjab is only Rs. 1,500
The Chief Minister said that the old age pension in Punjab is only Rs. 1,500. Targeting the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab, he said that the government promised the people that it would increase the pension to Rs. 2,500, but did nothing. The BJP government, on the other hand, did what it promised, and today the highest pension in the country is being given by the Haryana Government.
Saini said that whether it was the Congress or the INLD, they failed to deliver anything when they were in power. He said that pensions were increased only in a token manner during their regimes. Using a political metaphor, the Chief Minister remarked that on the issue of pensions, they are trying to “cut a finger and project themselves as martyrs,” meaning they are attempting to gain sympathy by creating a false narrative instead of showing real work. He further clarified that the BJP government in Haryana has never imposed any income slab. Despite this, he said, efforts are being made to mislead the common people with baseless allegations.
Biggest increase in Pension amount in the last 11 Years
Highlighting the government’s commitment, the Chief Minister pointed out that during INLD’s five-year rule, pension was increased by only Rs. 200, and during Congress’s ten-year tenure, by Rs. 700. In the last 11 years, we have increased the old-age pension from Rs.1,000 to Rs. 3,200 per month, an unprecedented increase of Rs. 2,200, he said.
Opposition Trying to Mislead People with False Claims
The Chief Minister said that over the past few days, certain opposition leaders have been running a misleading campaign. Referring to the claim made by the Congress that the pensions of two lakh people had been cut, the Chief Minister said it was necessary to place facts before the people of Haryana. He said that as per rules, pension benefits are automatically discontinued after the death of a beneficiary. Out of the two lakh cases cited by the Opposition, more than 1.03 lakh cases pertain to beneficiaries who had already passed away. He said that due to a technical issue on the Registrar General of India portal, data regarding deaths in Haryana was not available from October 2024. Once the data was received in November 2025, pensions in these cases had to be discontinued in one consolidated exercise.