Harish Rao Demands Rs 6,000 Disability Pension at Hastinapuram Meeting

BRS Deputy Floor Leader T. Harish Rao accused the Telangana Congress government of betraying persons with disabilities by failing to implement its promised monthly pension of Rs 6,000, while addressing the Samara Shankaravam meeting at Hastinapuram in the LB Nagar constituency on Saturday.

Harish Rao stated that Telangana has approximately 5.11 lakh persons with disabilities. He claimed that because the promised Rs 6,000 pension had not been paid over the past 33 months, the government owes around Rs 66,000 to each beneficiary.

He stated that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had not increased the disability pension and noted that existing payments were irregular, with disbursements pending for up to three months in some cases. He also criticised the government for failing to implement other election commitments, including free bus travel, local body reservations, and the recruitment of unfilled backlog posts.

Contrasting the current administration with the previous BRS regime, Harish Rao said the previous government increased disability pensions from Rs 500 to Rs 4,016. He added that out of Rs 54,000 crore spent on Aasara pensions during the 10-year BRS tenure, around Rs 10,300 crore was allocated specifically to persons with disabilities, alongside a 5 per cent quota in double-bedroom housing and 4 per cent reservation in education and employment.

Harish Rao alleged that the government had sold public land worth around Rs 30,000 crore and questioned allocations for publicity, contractors, beauty contests, and sports events while pension funds were withheld. He announced that the BRS would soon set a date for a mass Maha Dharna at Indira Park in Hyderabad to demand the fulfilment of promises made to persons with disabilities.