Chandigarh, March 3 Punjab Social Security Minister Baljit Kaur said on Tuesday that her department had recovered a sum of Rs 170 crore that had been credited to the accounts of deceased and ineligible beneficiaries under the old age pension scheme.
Addressing the media here, Kaur said that over 23.62 lakh eligible elderly beneficiaries are receiving Rs 1,500 per month in a transparent manner under the scheme.
She emphasised that strict monitoring led to the removal of ineligible and deceased beneficiaries, resulting in the recovery of these funds.
"We recovered a sum of Rs 170 crore, which was going into the accounts of dead beneficiaries," she noted, adding that regular monitoring of the scheme is being conducted.
Sharing details of the work done by the Social Security, Women and Child Development, Social Justice, Empowerment, and Minorities departments in the last four years, the minister said that a sum of Rs 3,806 crore was released under the old age pension scheme during 2025-26.
The minister also said that two old age homes have been set up in Tapa and Mansa at an outlay of Rs 17.33 crore. Her department also disbursed Rs 11.43 crore in grants to social organizations running 'ashrams' for the elderly in the state.
The minister highlighted that the state government provides free bus services for women, with Rs 2,042 crore spent in this regard.
Furthermore, five hostels for working women are being set up in three districts—three in Mohali and one each in Amritsar and Jalandhar, Kaur said, adding that these hostels, which will also include creche facilities for the children of women living there, are being developed with an expenditure of Rs 150 crore and are expected to be ready this year.
She said that in 2023, her department recruited 4,377 anganwadi workers and helpers, and the recruitment of an additional 6,110 workers and helpers is currently underway.
She further informed that 6.48 lakh widows, divorced women, and low-income women are receiving a monthly pension of Rs 1,500 without interruption.
Regarding maternity and child welfare, Kaur said, "Against a central target of 2,94,288 beneficiaries under the Matru Vandana Yojana, Punjab covered 4,22,492 women over four years."
The minister also mentioned that around 1,000 new anganwadi centres have been established in the state, with 350 centres renovated.
Under the Jeewanjyot project, her department has rescued many children involved in begging, Kaur said. Additionally, over the past four years, significant steps have been taken to prevent child marriages in the state, successfully stopping around 150 cases, she said.
On support for vulnerable groups, the Punjab minister said that 2,94,440 dependent children are receiving a monthly pension of Rs 1,500, and a dedicated disability cell has been established for single window assistance.
She added that over the past four years, post-metric scholarships worth Rs 1,943 crore have been disbursed.
Backlogs from 2017 to 2020 were cleared by releasing Rs 366 crore to private colleges and Rs 92 crore to government institutions, enabling students to receive their pending degrees.
Kaur further said the Ashirwad Scheme provides Rs 51,000 in marriage assistance irrespective of caste, with a total of Rs 1,023 crore released so far. Rs 100 crore has been allocated under the Adarsh Gram Yojana for development in Scheduled Caste-dominated villages, and Rs 6 crore in long-pending dues under the inter-caste marriage incentive scheme has been cleared, she said.
The minister emphasised that the Punjab government is committed to ensuring that every welfare scheme reaches the rightful beneficiaries on time and with complete transparency, allowing every citizen of Punjab to live with dignity, security, and equal opportunity.