Keralam Government To Release Welfare Pensions, Bonuses Ahead Of Onam From August 19

The Keralam Government announced an early disbursal of welfare pensions and bonuses ahead of the upcoming Onam festival. The Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan has announced the early disbursal following a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, saying that this decision has been taken to ensure financial stability for millions of residents during the festive season. While these payments are typically distributed on the 25th of each month, the CM emphasised that the payment has been preponed specifically for Onam.  

Onam is a harvest festival, which is celebrated over ten days, with Thiruvonam being the most important day. This year, Thiruvonam falls on August 26, and therefore, the government has decided to release the financial benefits under the welfare schemes a week earlier, on August 19.

The early disbursal will benefit around 65 beneficiaries.

The Chief Minister noted that this timely distribution aligns with the UDF government’s core policy of ensuring pensions reach beneficiaries without a delay. The government has sanctioned a total of Rs 1,105 crore to cover these pension requirements, per PTI.

The government has also earmarked Rs 63 crore for Onum bonuses and allowances. This funding will benefit the government employees, teachers, service providers, and part-time contractual workers, among others. Further, Rs 34 crore has been sanctioned to clear pension arrears of ASHA and Anganwadi workers, through July 31, 2026.

Reportedly, the administration is addressing long-standing financial obligations by allocating Rs 310 crore to clear backward class scholarship arrears, accrued under the previous government. Similarly, Rs 200 crore was sanctioned to settle urgent debts for schemes such as Karunya Arogya Suraksha Padhathi (KASP) and Arogya Kiranam in the health sector.

The Cabinet decided to give a boost to the agricultural sector by sanctioning Rs 150 crore to clear Paddy Receipt Sheets (PRS) arrears up to July 31, for paddy procurement by SupplyCo. For labourers who have completed 100 work days under the employment guarantee scheme, Rs 45 crore allowances have been announced, and Rs 26 crore has been set aside for the welfare of lottery sellers and agents, whose festival bonus has been increased to Rs 1,000.

In addition to this, Rs 44 crore has been sanctioned for school mid-day meal cooks to be paid in advance. Recently, their wages were increased by Rs 1,000.  

To protect consumers from price hikes, the government sanctioned Rs 53 crore to SupplyCo and Rs 25 crore to Consumerfed for market intervention. The minister said that 13 essential subsidy items are available at Maveli stores, and 10 items from these are available at a lower price compared to their prices in 2025.

On the allegations of kit delays and shortages, the Chief Minister rejected them as rumours, stating that over 600,000 Onam kits have been prepared to meet the demand of approximately 593,000. These kits include daily essentials such as tea, ghee, coconut oil, various spices, and cashew nuts. As of the announcement, over 300,000 kits had reached ration shops, and 75,000 were already in the hands of the cardholders.