The Congress on Tuesday said the pension scheme of its government with the JMM in Jharkhand was a "ground-breaking moment" in India's social security architecture and provided pensions from its own exchequer to over 28 lakh individuals, a figure which was significantly higher than those supported by the Union government's contribution.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said Jharkhand was showing the path ahead for India.

"The pension scheme of the JMM-INC Government in Jharkhand is a groundbreaking moment in India’s social security architecture," he said in a post on X.

Some key features of the pension scheme includes full universal coverage, allowing anyone who meets eligibility criteria to access benefits, he said.

It also entails reduction in the qualifying age for social security old-age pensions from 60 years to 50 years for Dalits, Adivasis and women, Ramesh said.

He said it also has simplified criteria for eligibility, automatically excluding only the Income Tax payees and government employees.

The scheme has Rs 100-crore revolving fund to support this initiative to ensure timely payment of pension in case contribution from the Central government gets delayed, Ramesh said.

The families belonging to particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups receive a monthly pension per household amounting Rs 1,000 irrespective of the demography of the household, he said.

Women without economic support – widowed, single, divorced or abandoned – and transgender individuals receive a monthly pension of Rs 1,000, Ramesh said.

"The state government provides pensions from its own exchequer to over 28 lakh individuals accounting for 70% of state’s total pensioners. This figure is significantly higher than those supported by the Union government's contribution under the National Social Assistance Programme, which covers over 12 lakh pensioners in Jharkhand," the Congress leader said.

Ramesh also tagged a media report, which claimed that Jharkhand is one of India’s poorest states and yet it has made significant strides in expanding the coverage of pensions for the needy and vulnerable, setting an example for other states and the Union government.

The Jharkhand polls will be held in two phases on November 13 and November 20, and the counting of votes will be taken up on November 23.

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