Pension Eligibility In Keralam: Why Owning An AC Should Not Disqualify Applicants, Says Minister

The government social security pensions are aimed at benefiting those who don’t have any source of income and typically live below the poverty line. These criteria could vary for different pension schemes and from one state to another. Addressing the issue on October 18 in Keralam, Local Self-Government Department (LSGD) Minister K. M. Shaji brought attention to the air conditioner (AC) related eligibility criteria for such pensions that should be removed from the disqualification list.

The minister stated that ACs are not a luxury anymore; they are a basic need in the current time, and thus, should not be considered while determining an applicant’s pension eligibility.

​ The issue raised was that someone possessing an AC should not automatically be disqualified from receiving welfare benefits. In the state government rules, possessing an AC has been listed as living under “better physical conditions”, which makes the person disqualified from receiving the benefits. The related rule traces back to a government circular dated November 18, 2019.

It defined some specific physical and living standards to categorise applicants under “better physical conditions”, making them ineligible to receive social security benefits. These included:

• Residing in a building with an area exceeding 2,000 square feet, modern flooring, and concrete structures

• Having an air-conditioner in the dwelling house

• Owning a four-wheeler vehicle with an engine capacity of more than 1,000 cc

​Notably,  under this circular, income from married children (living separately) was excluded for calculating family income.

On September 23, 2020, the government issued an order consolidating the social security pension norms and guidelines. This order defined general norms for all types of schemes, specific norms for each pension (old age pension, widow pension, etc.), operational guidelines, acceptable documents, and guidelines for verification of physical conditions.      

While the general eligibility norms defined that the applicant’s annual family income should not be more than Rs 1 lakh, the applicant must not own more than two acres of land, must not be a service pensioner or family pensioner, must not own a four-wheeler vehicle (engine capacity 1,000 cc), and excluded married children for calculating family income, the AC-related rule was mentioned separately under the verification guidelines for physical conditions along with the other two conditions (as in the 2019 circular).

It means that field inspectors, when evaluating physical conditions, need to classify the individuals having an AC in the house as having “better physical conditions”, rendering such persons ineligible for social security pension.

Therefore, the minister raised the issue of removing the AC-related criterion from the guidelines. As per PTI, the minister stated, “It is the view of the party and the Local Self Government Department (LSGD) that it should be removed as a criterion when considering someone for a pension."

He informed that the LSGD submitted a proposal to the Finance Department recommending that they remove this clause from the guidelines.