Vidhwa Pension – Advantages, eligibility & process to apply for widow pension scheme online

The widow pension scheme in India was launched by the central government to support widows with financial assistance by providing them a fixed and regular monthly income. Let us understand the plan in detail.

The unexpected death of a husband or the head earning member of a family is a great setback for a woman or the widow. It is important for every woman to be financially independent for her physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. Hence, the Indian government has initiated the widow pension scheme to support widows or financially distress single females.  Also known as Vidhwa Pension Yojana, this plan aims to allow women to get a monthly financial security to run her family. Let us understand the scheme better and how to apply for widow pension, in this post.

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What is a Widow Pension Scheme?

Vidhwa Pension Yojana, also known as widow pension scheme is a central government initiative. The scheme is aimed at supporting the bereaved woman with a regular flow of money every month and to make her self-sufficient. Under the scheme, a fixed and regular amount as pension is offered to the widow every month to make her manage livelihood.

The monetary support under the scheme is offered by particular state governments and hence the amount offered as pension as well as the process of application varies from state to state. The pension only caters to the widow and is not transferred to the children of the widow or any other member of the family after the demise of the widow.

Eligibility Criteria for Widow Pension Scheme

As far as the eligibility criteria of the Vidhwa Pension Yojana is concerned, you may note that different states in India might have different eligibility criteria as per their requirement or standard. Overall, a widow falling under the below mentioned category can benefit from the Widow Pension Scheme.

• The scheme is available for widows within the age group of 18 – 60 years
• It is available for widows living below the poverty line
• In case the widow remarries, she would not be eligible for the pension anymore
• If the widow has grown up children, who are working and are capable to manage her expenses, she may not be eligible for the monthly pension
• The pension benefit is for the widow only, so in case the widow dies, the pension benefit will stop and not be offered to her children

Documents Required for Widow Pension Scheme

Here is a list of widow pension documents required under the scheme:

• Birth certificate
• Death certificate of husband
• Passport size photograph
• Certificate of Income
• Bank Passbook
• Below Poverty Line ration card

However, like in the case of eligibility, here also different States of the country might require different documents as per requirement.

How to Apply for Widow Pension Online?

The Vidhwa pension yojana is available for widows. A candidate can either apply online or offline for the scheme.

Online process

• Visit the official portal of the scheme in your state
• Register on the website and fill the required details in the form
• Submit the details by clicking on the ‘submit’ button
• Along with the details, submit the required documents needed for verification
• Now upload copies of the required documents and submit the form online

Offline Process

For the offline process, the applicant can visit the Municipal Corporation Commissioner office or the Janpad Panchayat officer. The candidate can collect the claim form from the office. However, you need to carry all the necessary documents with you. The concerned department will verify the documents submitted and the account will be opened once the verification is done. The widow pension amount will reach your bank account every month.

Who Should Opt for Widow Pension Scheme?

Below are the category of widows who should opt for widow pension scheme:

• Single women with financial commitments and who are below the poverty line can seek for the widow pension scheme to lower the monetary burden
• Single women who don’t have enough means to fulfill a certain monthly expense for her future can apply for the benefit
• Single women who are employed but not making enough to take care of her dependents can opt for the scheme.

Benefits of Widow Pension Scheme

There are some benefits that a widow can avail from the Vidhwa pension yojana as mentioned below:

• The Government provides a fixed, regular monthly income to aid the single women or widow
• INR 300 is the minimum pension provided by the Government, which can range between INR 300 to INR 2000 as per the state norm
• The widows who are 80 years and above are given a pension of INR 500 in all the states
• The State Government deposit the pension amount directly to bank account of the widow

Since financial security is the utmost requirement for survival in life, the pension amount offered to the widow supports her with an added income.

Pension Offered by Different States

The amount of money received as pension every month by the single women under the widow pension scheme varies from state to state as well as depending on the age of the widow. INR 300 is the minimum amount that a widow can avail, which varies as per the state norm.  However, most states offer a better amount.

Check below the pension offered by some of the states:

*Rates as per 15 Feb 2022

The widow pension initiative is there to support the distressed and deprived women. But at the same time, it is important for everyone, especially the head earning member, to take proper steps to secure the family financially and prepare them for any financial crisis in the future. As such, no one can predict life and emergencies are part and parcel of life. Hence, it is necessary to procure pension plans and other saving and investment plans to secure a family’s financial future.

Retirement/Pension Policies Offered by Different Life Insurance Companies

It is necessary to plan finances in a way that a family could survive easily even after the sudden death of the breadwinner.  Investing in various retirement or pension plans is one such best way to support your family even after you are gone.

There are several retirement plans offered by various life insurance companies in India. These plans work best to support a family including the widow better in the event of sudden demise of the husband or head earning member.

Some of these plans offered by renowned insurers in India allow guaranteed returns of high pension amounts along with offering life coverage. The added advantage of the life cover provides the family a corpus on account of death of the insured.

Conclusion

Life throws several challenges. Thus, it is important for everyone to stay prepared for them, especially in terms of finances. Hence, to make sure that your family does not suffer any financial setback in life, you must secure their lives while you are still alive by investing in annuity or life insurance plans.

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