KCR Hikes Pension for Differently-Abled, Mess Charges for Students

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao approved a much-awaited hike in Aasara pensions on Saturday for differently-abled individuals and mess charges for students in government welfare hostels and residential educational institutions. These changes are set to take effect from this month and the state government issued orders to implement them.

Aasara pensions for differently-abled persons have finally been increased from Rs 3,016 per month to Rs 4,016 per month, a move that fulfills the promise made by the Chief Minister during a public meeting in Mancherial on June 9. However, there were delays in issuing orders, which led to the distribution of old pensions in July, causing some frustration among the beneficiaries.

Simultaneously, the mess charges, also known as diet charges, for students have been revised for the first time since 2017. The new rates are as follows: Rs 1,200 per month for students from Class 3 to 7, Rs 1,400 per month for students from Class 8 to 10, and Rs 1,875 per month for students from Class 11 to PG-level. This revision comes as a response to the recent increase in food poisoning cases in mess facilities in state-run educational institutions, attributed to the government's failure to adjust the mess charges with the rising prices of essential commodities.

The CM's review of these long-pending issues with concerned ministers and officials at the Secretariat on Saturday paved the way for immediate orders for the implementation of the revised pensions and mess charges. This move comes as a relief for the 5,16,890 differently-abled beneficiaries in the state who were eagerly waiting for the increase in Aasara pensions. The revision of mess charges is expected to address the challenges faced by contractors in providing adequate and safe meals for students due to the stagnant rates since 2017 and the inflation in food prices over the years.