Pension to Widows and Destitute Women (Chandigarh)

What is the Chandigarh Pension to Widows and Destitute Women?

Pension to Widows and Destitute Women is a social security pension run by the Department of Social Welfare, Women and Child Development, Chandigarh Administration. The department states the objective plainly: "To provide financial assistance to Widows and Destitute Women." Readers who search for the scheme as "Chandigarh widow pension", "vidhwa pension Chandigarh" or "financial assistance to widows and destitute women" are looking at the same scheme.

The scheme pays Rs 1,000 per month. Payment is made by Direct Benefit Transfer: the department confirms that disbursement of pension under Old Age Pension, Pension to Disabled Persons, Pension to Widows and Destitute Women and Financial Assistance to Dependent Children of Widow Women "is being made through Aadhaar seeded Bank Account". There is no cash counter and no intermediary.

Chandigarh runs a family of four linked social security payments at the same rate and on the same residence and income tests, which is worth knowing because a household often qualifies for more than one:

Who is eligible for the Chandigarh widow and destitute women pension?

You can apply if:

• You are a woman aged 18 to 60 years. The department's eligibility line is "The women of age group 18-60".
• You have been a resident of UT Chandigarh for more than 3 years, and can prove it with a voter card, ration card or electricity bill.
• Your family income does not exceed Rs 1.50 lakh annually.
• You are a widow, evidenced by the death certificate of your husband, or a destitute woman without means of support.

You cannot apply if:

• You are below 18 or above 60 years. A woman above 60 should apply for the Chandigarh Old Age Pension instead, which pays the same Rs 1,000 a month on the same income ceiling and the same 3-year residence test.
• Your residence in Chandigarh is 3 years or less. Residence "for more than 3 years" is a hard condition.
• Your annual family income is above Rs 1.50 lakh.
• You live outside the Union Territory. Residents of Mohali, Panchkula or any state are not eligible under the Chandigarh scheme and must apply to their own state's social security department.

The department does not publish an additional caste, employment or landholding test for this pension. Age, residence, income and status as a widow or destitute woman are the four filters that decide the case.

What documents are required for the Chandigarh widow pension?

The department asks for self-attested photocopies of the following.

The department publishes the Form for Widow Pension in both English and Hindi on the scheme page, a file of about 270 KB, so you can print and fill it before visiting the office.

How to apply for the Chandigarh widow pension

1. Collect your papers first. Aadhaar, the husband's death certificate, three-year residence proof, income proof, bank passbook and photographs. Missing income or residence proof is the single most common cause of delay.
2. Get the supporting certificates if you do not have them. Income Certificate and Residence/Domicile Certificate are both issued online through the Chandigarh e-District portal at chdservices.gov.in. The portal's own published service standards are 30 days for an income certificate and 45 days for a residence or domicile certificate, so start these early.
3. Apply online. Open chdservices.gov.in, use Citizen Login for Income/Residence Certificate/Social Welfare Services, register if you are a first-time user, and select the widow pension service. Sanction of Pension for Widow has been available through Chandigarh e-District since 28 May 2017.
4. Or apply offline. Download the Form for Widow Pension from chdsw.gov.in in English or Hindi, fill it, attach self-attested copies, and submit it at the Department of Social Welfare, Women and Child Development, Additional Town Hall Building, 3rd Floor, Sector 17-C, Chandigarh 160017.
5. Keep the acknowledgement. Note the application number; you will need it to track status and to file an appeal if the 30-day limit passes.
6. Seed your bank account with Aadhaar. The pension is paid only into an Aadhaar-seeded account. Ask your bank branch to confirm seeding in writing.

Applying is free. No agent is authorised to charge a fee for "getting a pension sanctioned", and no official will ask for your Aadhaar OTP over the phone.

How long does it take, and how do I check my status?

Under the department's Right to Service notification, Pension to Widows/ Destitute Women must be delivered within 30 days. The designated officer is the Superintendent, the first appellate authority is the Director Social Welfare, and the second appellate authority is the Secretary Social Welfare. The notification adds the caveat that delivery is "subject to fulfilment of eligibility criteria and availability of funds".

To check payment, use the Know Your Pension Status page on chdsw.gov.in. The department publishes month-wise lists of State Social Security Pensioners and, separately, lists of Aadhaar-inactive beneficiaries. If your name is on the Aadhaar-inactive list, your pension will not reach you until the account is seeded, and that is a bank-branch problem, not a department problem.

You can also track an online application through the Application Status link on chdservices.gov.in.

Why Chandigarh widow pension applications get rejected or stopped

• Residence of 3 years or less. The rule is "more than 3 years". A ration card or voter card dated within the last three years will not clear it; older utility bills in the household's name help.
• Family income above Rs 1.50 lakh a year. The income is of the family, not of the applicant alone.
• Age outside 18–60. Cases above 60 are moved to Old Age Pension rather than paid twice.
• Bank account not seeded with Aadhaar. This is the commonest reason a sanctioned pension stops arriving. The department's own Aadhaar-inactive beneficiary lists exist precisely because of this.
• Name mismatch between Aadhaar, the bank record and the pension record.
• No death certificate in a widow's case. If the certificate is not available, get it from the Registrar of Births and Deaths; Chandigarh e-District also runs a Late Death Entry Order service, live since 14 August

If the 30-day limit passes without a decision, appeal in writing to the Director Social Welfare, and if that fails, to the Secretary Social Welfare.

What else a widow's household in Chandigarh can claim

• Financial Assistance to Dependent Children of Widows and Destitute Women; Rs 1,000 per month per child with effect from 1 January 2016, for up to two children in a family, to meet the cost of maintenance and education. The child must be under 18, the mother must already be drawing the widow pension from the department, the family must have lived in Chandigarh for more than 3 years, and the child must not be receiving a family pension from any State or Central Government. Children given institutional care by a government body or NGO are not eligible. Where both parents have died, the assistance goes to the legal guardian. The Right to Service limit for this service is also 30 days.
• Financial Assistance for the Marriage of Daughters of Widows and Destitute Women belonging to the Scheduled Caste — a one-time Rs 20,000, for up to two daughters in a family, first marriage only, where the bride is at least 18 years on the date of marriage, the mother belongs to a Scheduled Caste, the family has lived in Chandigarh for more than 3 years, and family income does not exceed Rs 2,000 per month as verified by the Tehsildar.
• National Family Benefit Scheme, also administered by the same department, for a one-time payment on the death of the family's primary breadwinner.

Help and grievance redressal

• Director Social Welfare, Chandigarh: 0172-2700372.
• Department office: Additional Town Hall Building, 3rd Floor, Sector 17-C, Chandigarh 160017, email dirswd-chd[at]nic[dot]in.
• Women and Child Helpline: 181, mobile 9915023456, Sector 19-B, Chandigarh.
• Right to Service appeals: first appeal to the Director Social Welfare, second appeal to the Secretary Social Welfare.
• Grievances can also be filed through the Lodge Your Grievances link and the RTI link on the Chandigarh Administration portal.