Widow Pension

What is Widow Pension?

To provide financial support to the poor widows of India, the widow pension scheme was introduced in India. A widow whose household is below the poverty line is eligible to get the benefits of pension scheme. The beneficiary, in this case, has to apply through the prescribed form.

As per the Indian Constitutional Amendment Act 1993, the vidhwa pension was decentralized and its implementation, which was handled by the Social Welfare Department of the State Government was transferred to the Local Self Government Institutions as per the revised rules of the Government’s Order Number GO (P) 11/ 97 date 07/04/1997. Currently, all the local bodies have put into the care of getting the application, granting, processing, and distribution of the pension. In this way, the name of the widow pension offered by the Uttar Pradesh is Vidhwa Pension Yojana.

Uttar Pradesh’s State Government has started the widow pension with the name of Vidhwa Pension Yojana to give financial assistance to the widows of Uttar Pradesh. Every eligible candidate gets Rs.500 per month through the UP Government.

Eligibility Criteria for Widow Pension

A widow falling in the below category can avail the benefits of widow pension:

• A widow within the age group of 18 years to 60 years.
• The family income of the widow is not more than Rs.10, 000 per month.
• The widow should not be married again.

Note: Different States of India may have different eligibility criteria.

Required Documents

The list of required documents is mentioned below:

• Birth certificate
• Passport size photograph
• Below Poverty Line ration card
• Certificate of Income
• Bank's Passbook
• Death certificate of husband

Note: Different States of India may have a different set of required documents.

Process to Apply

An applicant can either apply online or offline by visiting the Corporation office.

• For Online Application:
  • Log in to the official website of the State.
  • Select the option that says to download or fill the form.
  • Duly fill this form and either download this form in Word file or print directly.
  • After filling all the details, the applicant should submit this form to the Janpad Panchayat Officer or Municipal Corporation Commissioner.
• For Offline Application: To apply offline, one has to go to the office of the Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation or officer of the Janpad Panchayat. From there he/she can obtain the application form without any cost.

Note: The application process may vary with the States of India.

Advantages of this Scheme

The widows can get the following advantages from this scheme:

• The Government of India provides financial assistance through widow pension plan.
• The recipient gets Rs.300/ month starting from the date of death of her husband.
• The pension is transferred to the account of the recipient directly.
• Recipient with the age of more than 80 years gets Rs.500 every month.

Note: The amount paid as vidhwa pension may vary with State.

You may also like to read: Benefits of national pension scheme

FAQs

Q1: How much does a widow get from the widow pension?

Ans: Different states offer different amount to the widows of their state. However, most of the states offer Rs.300 to Rs.500 per month.

Q1:: Who is eligible for widow pension?

Ans: The recipient should be a widow, below the poverty line, and should be the resident of the State under which she is applying for the widow pension. The age group and other factors differ with state and are not generic.

Q1:: Does a wife get her husband's state pension when he dies?

Ans: When the husband dies, some of the State pension’s entitlement may pass to his wife (widow). However, the widow may get an extra state pension, if he/she is entitled to it when he/she reaches to the age of state pension.

Q1:: Do widows get old age pension benefits?

Ans: Old age pension is offered to women who are 58 years old or more. The maximum income that a beneficiary should have to get the benefits of this scheme is Rs.2000 per month.