Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme in Haryana

What is the Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme?

Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS) is a component of the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) run by the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India. IGNWPS provides monthly central assistance to widows from below-poverty-line households and requires no contribution from the beneficiary. It is funded by the Centre and implemented by state governments, each of which adds its own top-up.

Central assistance under IGNWPS is Rs 300 per month for widows aged 40 to 79 years and Rs 500 per month from 80 years of age. These central rates have been unchanged for many years, so what a widow actually receives depends almost entirely on the state component.

How does IGNWPS work in Haryana?

Haryana does not run IGNWPS as a separate pension with its own application. The Directorate of Social Justice and Empowerment operates Pension to Widows and Destitute Women, introduced in 1980-81, and pays Rs 3,200 per month with effect from 1 November 2025, raised from Rs 3,000. The central NSAP share for eligible below-poverty-line widows is absorbed into that single credit and claimed administratively by the state.

Three differences between the central scheme and what Haryana actually pays are worth knowing before applying:

• Age. The central IGNWPS starts at 40 years. Haryana's scheme starts at 18 years, so a young widow who is outside IGNWPS still receives the full state pension.
• Coverage. IGNWPS covers widows only. Haryana's scheme also covers destitute women without a husband, parents or sons, and women deserted by husband or parents.
• Amount. The credited amount in Haryana is Rs 3,200 a month, not the central Rs 300 or Rs 500.

The scheme's stated purpose is to provide social security to women who cannot sustain themselves from their own resources. Haryana runs a separate parallel allowance for widowers and unmarried persons, at the same revised rate, so single men are covered by that scheme rather than by this one.

Who is eligible for the widow pension in Haryana?

You can get the pension if all of the following are true:

• You are a woman aged 18 years or above.
• You are a domicile of Haryana.
• You are a widow, or a destitute woman without husband, parents and sons, or destitute because of desertion by your husband or parents.
• Your annual income does not exceed Rs 3,00,000.

For the central IGNWPS component specifically, the additional requirements are that the applicant is a widow, is aged 40 years or above, and belongs to a below-poverty-line household with a valid BPL identification.

You cannot apply if:

• You are under 18 years old.
• You are not domiciled in Haryana. NSAP pensions are paid by the state of residence, so a woman who moves states must apply afresh there.
• Your annual income exceeds Rs 3,00,000.
• You are already drawing another state social security pension on the same ground. The pensions are not stackable.

Remarriage ends eligibility as a widow. A woman who remarries should report the change rather than let the pension continue, because wrongly drawn amounts are recoverable.

What documents are required?

A woman claiming as destitute or deserted rather than as a widow will not have a death certificate. In those cases the District Social Welfare Office relies on the PPP record, a declaration and local verification by the Gram Panchayat or Urban Local Body, so build that documentation before filing.

How to apply for the widow pension in Haryana

1. Update your Parivar Pehchan Patra at meraparivar.haryana.gov.in so the marital status and verified family income are correct, with income within Rs 3,00,000 a year.
2. Open saralharyana.gov.in, the Antyodaya-SARAL portal, and register with your mobile number and email or sign in to an existing account.
3. Select Apply for Services and search for the Pension to Widows and Destitute Women service of the Social Justice and Empowerment Department, this single form covers the IGNWPS component as well.
4. Enter your Family ID, Aadhaar number, date of birth, ground of claim, husband's details where applicable, residence and bank account particulars.
5. Upload the death certificate or other proof of the ground, the age and residence proofs, and the first page of the bank passbook.
6. Submit and save the Application Reference ID shown on screen and sent by SMS.
7. Wait for verification and sanction by the District Social Welfare Officer, who checks the ground of claim and the PPP income record.

How to apply offline

1. Visit your nearest SARAL Kendra, Common Service Centre, Gram Panchayat or Urban Local Body office, or the District Social Welfare Office, with originals and one photocopy set.
2. Ask the operator to file the widow and destitute women pension application on Antyodaya-SARAL on your behalf; the counters run the same system.
3. Give your OTP or biometric confirmation and collect the printed acknowledgement carrying the Application Reference ID.

How much is paid and when?

Haryana credits Rs 3,200 per month to every sanctioned beneficiary from 1 November 2025. Payment runs through the Public Financial Management System into the applicant's own Aadhaar-seeded bank account. The central IGNWPS share is not credited separately.

No annual re-application is required. The pension continues while the beneficiary remains eligible, remains resident in Haryana and stays within the income ceiling. Rate revisions are applied to existing beneficiaries automatically, the Rs 200 increase notified in 2025 was paid with retrospective effect from 1 November without a fresh form.

How to check status and payment

1. Open saralharyana.gov.in and enter your Application Reference ID in the Track Application Status box.
2. Or sign in to your SARAL account and open Track Application Status for the full case history.
3. If the pension is sanctioned but not credited, check the bank passbook and the Aadhaar-seeding status at your branch before raising a grievance.

Common reasons a case fails

• PPP income above Rs 3,00,000 — correct the income entry through the Parivar Pehchan Patra grievance route and re-apply.
• Marital status not updated in the PPP after the husband's death, so the system does not recognise the claim.
• No acceptable proof of the ground for destitute or deserted applicants; arrange local verification through the Gram Panchayat or Urban Local Body.
• Bank account not Aadhaar-seeded, so the DBT credit fails after sanction.
• Account not in the applicant's own name: joint or relative accounts are rejected.
• Remarriage or a change in circumstances that ends eligibility.

Where to complain

• Antyodaya-SARAL helpline: 0172-3968400, and saral.haryana@gov.in, working 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM Monday to Saturday.
• District Social Welfare Officer of your district, the sanctioning authority for this pension.
• CM Window, Haryana's central grievance platform, for cases stuck beyond the normal processing period.
• Parivar Pehchan Patra grievance redressal at meraparivar.haryana.gov.in where the problem is a wrong income or marital status entry.

Applying is free at every step. No official will ask for money, and no agent can guarantee sanction, the case is decided on the ground of claim, the PPP income record and the domicile document alone.