Check out 16 Return-To-Work Programs In India For Ambitious Women Like You!
Now through the Widow Pension Scheme, widowed women will have some financial autonomy at least, and not need to depend so much on others.
Translated from the original in Hindi.
The Vidhwa Pension Yojana was started by the Government of India to provide financial assistance to women who have become widows. Many state governments also provide assistance to the financially poor and destitute widows.
The purpose of the Widow Pension Scheme is to empower widows who may be dependent on family members for their livelihood, and raise their standard of living.
Only a widow of 18 to 60 years who comes below the poverty line can take advantage of this scheme.
The applicant should be above 18, and under -18 widows are unfortunately not covered, as the minimum age for marriage for girls is 18, and the state declares an underage marriage illegal. The widow should also not have remarried after the death of the husband.
Also, if the widow’s children are still minors, or if they are older in age but are not able to take care of their mother, then the woman is eligible to apply. Only the widow herself will get a monthly pension under this scheme and their children or any other family members will not get the benefit after the death of the widow.
This scheme is be valid only till the widow is alive.
The entire amount of pension is directly deposited by the government into the bank account of the beneficiary women, so that no one can steal the money from them. This is the reason why it is mandatory to have a bank account to apply for the scheme, which should be linked to Aadhaar.
The benefit of this scheme will be provided to the economically poor widow women whose age will be 18 to 60 years. But in some states a different age is fixed, like under the Indira Gandhi Widow Pension Scheme, the age should be 40 to 60.
The amount allotted of every state is different.
You can check out the widow pension schemes of various states here and apply online. You can also apply offline by going to the office of your district social welfare department.
Image Source: a still from the film Pagglait
A student with a passion for languages and writing. read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Being a writer, Nivedita Louis recognises the struggles of a first-time woman writer and helps many articulate their voice with development, content edits as a publisher.
“I usually write during night”, says author Nivedita Louis during our conversation. Chuckling she continues,” It’s easier then to focus solely on writing. Nivedita Louis is a writer, with varied interests and one of the founders of Her Stories, a feminist publishing house, based in Chennai.
In a candid conversation she shared her journey from small-town Tamil Nadu to becoming a history buff, an award-winning author and now a publisher.
Nivedita was born and raised in a small town in Tamil Nadu. It was for schooling that she first arrived in Chennai. Then known as Madras, she recalls being awed by the city. Her love-story with the city, its people and thus began which continues till date. She credits her perseverance and passion to make a difference to her days as a vocational student among the elite sections of Madras.
Please enter your email address