Old Age Pension-West Bengal- A Complete Overview

The State Government of West Bengal took up a sympathetic initiative called “Old Age Pension” scheme in 2010 through the Department of Women and Child Development and Social Welfare. West Bengal Disability Pension Scheme 2010 provides financial assistance to persons who are above 60 years of age and unable to work and/or carry out daily life in any way.

Old Age Pension

Benefits of Scheme

  • The following benefit will be provided to eligible old age people under Old Age Pension Scheme of West Bengal Government :-
    • Pension of Rs. 1,000/- per Month to Eligible Old Age Beneficiaries.

Eligibility Criteria

  1. Applicant should be a Permanent Resident of West Bengal OR,
  2. Applicant Should be a Resident of West Bengal for 10 Years.
  3. The Age of Beneficiary should be:-
    • 60 Years or Above.
    • 55 Years or Above for Disabled Beneficiary.
  1. The Monthly Income of the Beneficiary should be below Rs. 1,000/- per month.
  2. The person should not have any relation capable of providing financial support. Here “relation” means and includes-
  • Son, Grand Son.
  • Husband, Wife.
  • Unmarried daughter.
  • Parents.
  1. The applicant should not be a recipient of any other Government pension.

Note:- The State Government may relax the residency condition in cases where undue hardship is caused.

Exclusions

  1. This scheme does not provide pension benefits to individuals who engage in begging as a profession.
  2. However, individuals who do not beg professionally but receive occasional assistance can be eligible for a pension if they meet other criteria.

Required Documents

The necessary documents for applying for the monthly old age pension under the Old Age Pension Scheme of the West Bengal Government are listed below:

  • Copy of Aadhaar self-attested.
  • Copy of Ration Card.
  • Copy of Voter Id.
  • Copy of Disability Certificate.
  • Copy of Income Certificate.
  • Copy of Husband’s Death Certificate.
  • Copy of Bank Pass Book.
  • Nomination Form (In case of death).
  • Passport Size photograph.

How to Apply West Bengal Old Age Pension Scheme

Only Offline Mode Available

You can obtain the Application Form (Form-P) for Pension free of cost from the following offices:

  • If the applicant resides in rural areas under the concerned Panchayat Samity, they should approach the Office of the Block Development Officer or the Executive Officer of the Panchayat Samity.
  • If the applicant resides in Municipal/Notified areas outside Kolkata Municipal Corporation, they should go to the Office of the Sub-Divisional Officer.
  • For applicants residing within the areas under Kolkata Municipal Corporation, they should visit the Office of the Controller of Vagrancy, West Bengal located at Purta Bhawan, Bidhan Nagar, Kolkata-700091.

Please forward the Application Form for Pension to:

  • The District Magistrate of the relevant district should receive the application if the applicant lives in a rural area under a Panchayat Samity.
  • If the applicant resides in Municipal/Notified areas outside Kolkata Municipal Corporation, the application should be submitted to the Sub-Divisional Officer.
  • For those living within the areas under Kolkata Municipal Corporation, the application should be submitted to the Controller of Vagrancy, West Bengal.

Here are some frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the Old Age Pension scheme 

  1. What is the Old Age Pension Scheme?
    • The Old Age Pension scheme is a program introduced by the Women and Child Development and Social Welfare Department of the West Bengal State Government in 2010 to provide financial assistance to elderly residents of West Bengal.
  2. What are the benefits of the Old Age Pension scheme?
    • The scheme provides a financial assistance of Rs.1000/- per month to eligible elderly individuals.
  3. Who is eligible for the Old Age Pension scheme?
    • All eligible individuals aged 60 or above residing in West Bengal are eligible for the scheme.
  4. What is the financial eligibility criteria for the scheme?
    • To qualify for the scheme, the applicant’s monthly income should not exceed ₹1,000/-.
  5. Can residents from other states avail of the benefits?
    • No, only residents of West Bengal are eligible for the Old Age Pension scheme.
  6. How many years of residence are required to apply for the scheme?
    • Applicants must have lived in West Bengal for a minimum of ten years before applying for the scheme.
  7. What is the application process for the Old Age Pension scheme?
    • To apply, individuals need to obtain the application form, fill it with the necessary details, attach the required documents, and submit the completed form.
  8. Where can applicants get the application form?
    • Depending on their location within West Bengal, applicants can obtain the form from various offices such as the Block Development Officer’s office, Sub-Divisional Officer’s office, or the Office of the Controller of Vagrancy, West Bengal.
  9. Is the application form available for download online?
  10. What documents are required for the application?
    • Required documents include self-attested copies of Aadhaar, Ration Card, Voter ID, Disability Certificate, Income Certificate, Husband’s Death Certificate, Bank Pass Book, Nomination Form (required in case of death), and a passport-size photograph.

District Nodal Officer Contact Details

For any assistance needed, beneficiaries of the West Bengal Pension Scheme can contact the District Nodal Officer.

Sl No District Name Designation Contact Email
1 Alipurduar Asik Rahaman Dy. Magistrate in-Charge of D.S.W.O 03564257527
2 Bankura Surendra Prasad Bhakat District Social Welfare Officer 03242240103 dswobankura@gmail.com
3 Barddhaman Nabanita Mukherjee District Social Welfare Officer 03422663381 dswo.bwn@gmail.com
4 Birbhum Sunayan Das District Social Welfare Officer 03462259737 dswo.bir@gmail.com
5 Coochbihar Debdas Biswas District Social Welfare Officer 03582225401 socialwelfare.cbr@gmail.com
6 Dakshin Dinajpur Kalidas Bhattacharya District Social Welfare Officer 03522255119 dswo.dd@gmail.com
7 Darjeeling Kamalesh Ch. Biswas District Social Welfare Officer 03542254191 dswdarjeeling@gmail.com
8 Howrah Debkumar Bhattacharjee District Social Welfare Officer 03326380587 dswohowrah@gmail.com
9 Hooghly Kajal Samaddar District Social Welfare Officer 03326810832 swhooghly@gmail.com
10 Jalpaiguri Shraddha Subba Dy. Magistrate in-Charge of D.S.W.O 03561220861 dswo_jalpaiguri@yahoo.com
11 Kolkata Biswanath Chakraborty Controller of Vagrancy 03323370762 cvwestbengal@gmail.com
12 Maldah Asim Roy District Social Welfare Officer 03512254236 dswo.malda@gmail.com
13 Murshidabad Shyamal Kanti Mondal District Social Welfare Officer 03482250023 msddswo@gmail.com
14 Nadia Subrata Das District Social Welfare Officer 03472254798 dsw.nadia2015@gmail.com
15 North 24 Pgs Manishankar Mukherjee District Social Welfare Officer 03325846278 dswo.social.northparganas20@gmail.com
16 Paschim Medinipur Prabir Kr. Samanta District Social Welfare Officer 03222265996 pmdswo@gmail.com
17 Purba Medinipur Khurshid Alam District Social Welfare Officer 03228263135 dsw.purbamedinipur@gmail.com
18 Puruliya Subrata Ghosh District Social Welfare Officer 03252224409 dswopurulia2015@gmail.com
19 South 24 Pgs. Arumoy Roy D.P.O(ICDS) in-charge of D.S.W.O 03324792206 dswos24@gmail.com
20 Uttar Dinajpur Pinaki Gupta District Social Welfare Officer 9836008135 dswoud@gmail.com

 

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