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Kerala Unveils Welfare Package With ₹2,000 Pensions, New Support for Women and Youth

The measures take effect November 1, adding roughly ₹10,000 crore to the state’s annual outlay.

Overview

  • Social security and welfare fund pensions rise from ₹1,600 to ₹2,000 a month, covering about 62 lakh beneficiaries.
  • A new ₹1,000 monthly Women’s Security Pension targets AAY and PHH women aged 35–60 not on other pensions, with an estimated 31.34 lakh recipients and ₹3,800 crore a year.
  • The 'Connect to Work' scholarship offers ₹1,000 a month to eligible 18–30-year-olds pursuing skills or exam preparation, expected to reach about five lakh youth with ₹600 crore allocated annually.
  • Honorariums for ASHA and anganwadi workers, helpers, literacy preraks, pre-primary teachers and ayahs increase by ₹1,000 per month, and each Kudumbashree ADS unit receives a ₹1,000 monthly grant.
  • The cabinet also raises the natural rubber minimum support price to ₹200 per kg, as the opposition calls the package an election ploy and ASHA unions say protests will continue.