Teelu Rauteli Pension Scheme

What is the Teelu Rauteli Pension Scheme?

Teelu Rauteli Pension Scheme is a disability pension run by the Social Welfare Department, Government of Uttarakhand, for rural farmers who became partially disabled in the course of agricultural work. The scheme has been in effect since 1 April 2014, and it pays Rs 1,200 per month directly into the beneficiary's bank account.

The scheme is named after Teelu Rauteli, the Garhwali woman warrior from Gurad village in Pargana Chaundkot who, according to the folk histories of Garhwal, fought seven battles between the ages of fifteen and twenty in the seventeenth century. The name is often written Tilu Rauteli in transliteration, and readers searching for the scheme by that spelling will find the same programme.

Teelu Rauteli Pension Scheme fills a specific gap. Uttarakhand's main disability pension, the Divyang Pension Scheme, requires disability of more than 40 percent and pays Rs 1,500 a month. That leaves out a large group: hill farmers who lost partial use of a hand, an eye or a leg in a farm accident, whose disability is assessed between 20 and 40 percent, and who therefore fall below the Divyang Pension bar while still being unable to do the physical work their livelihood depends on. Teelu Rauteli Pension Scheme is the scheme built for exactly that band.

Key features

• Rs 1,200 per month, paid by Direct Benefit Transfer.
• Applies to rural women and men, not only women, despite the scheme's name.
• Disability band of 20 to 40 percent, certified by a Medical Officer.
• Age band of 18 to 60 years.
• No income limit of any kind.
• Administered under the Social Welfare Department's online pension framework notified by government order No. 1502/XVII-2/16-01(02)/2010 dated 9 December 2021, which moved the state's pension and grant schemes onto transparent ICT delivery.

Who is eligible for the Teelu Rauteli Pension Scheme?

You can apply if:

• You are between 18 and 60 years of age.
• Your disability is between 20 and 40 percent, certified by a Medical Officer.
• The disability was acquired during agricultural work.
• You are a rural resident of Uttarakhand.
• You have a Core Banking Solution (CBS) bank account in your own name.

There is no monthly income limit. The Social Welfare Department states this explicitly, and it is unusual enough among state pensions to be worth underlining: a farming family with reasonable income is still eligible if the disability and age criteria are met.

You cannot apply if:

• You are below 18 or above 60 years of age. On turning 60 an existing beneficiary is shifted to the Old Age Pension, if otherwise eligible, rather than continuing on this one.
• Your disability is above 40 percent. Apply for the Divyang Pension Scheme of Rs 1,500 a month on the same portal instead. A higher disability gets a higher pension, so this is not a loss.
• Your disability is below 20 percent, which falls outside the certified band.
• Your disability was not acquired during agricultural work.
• You are an urban resident. The scheme is framed for rural farmer women and men.
• You are already drawing another state pension for the same disability. Uttarakhand does not permit double pensions for one condition.

What documents are required?

The Gram Panchayat open meeting proposal is the document applicants most often miss. Unlike most online pensions, this scheme requires a recommendation passed in the open meeting (khuli baithak) of the Gram Panchayat. Get it before you open the online form, because you will need to upload it.

How to apply for the Teelu Rauteli Pension Scheme online

1. Obtain your disability certificate from a Medical Officer showing a disability between 20 and 40 percent. This is the document the whole application turns on.
2. Get the Gram Panchayat open meeting proposal recommending your name, and a family register copy from the Village Panchayat Development Officer.
3. Open the Social Security Portal at ssp.uk.gov.in and go to the online Teelu Rauteli pension registration form. The department also allows application through the Apuni Sarkar portal at eservices.uk.gov.in and the UMANG mobile app.
4. Fill in your details; name, father's or husband's name, date of birth, village, block, district, disability percentage and bank account number. Enter the name exactly as it appears on your Aadhaar and passbook.
5. Upload the documents; family register, panchayat proposal, disability certificate, bank passbook and Aadhaar.
6. Submit and save the application number shown on screen. You will need it to track the sanction.
7. Wait for verification by the block and District Social Welfare Office. On sanction, the pension is credited to your CBS bank account by Direct Benefit Transfer.

How to apply offline or with help

1. Visit your nearest Common Service Centre (CSC) with all six documents and ask the operator to file the Teelu Rauteli pension application on ssp.uk.gov.in for you. Only the notified government service fee may be charged.
2. Alternatively, approach the District Social Welfare Office or the block Social Welfare Supervisor of your area, who can guide you on the panchayat proposal and the medical certificate.
3. Keep a photocopy of everything you submit, and note the application number on the receipt.

How much is paid and when?

The pension is Rs 1,200 per month. State press reporting recorded the amount being raised by Rs 200 to reach Rs 1,200, and the Uttarakhand government disburses its pensions through Direct Benefit Transfer in periodic large releases, one such release covered Rs 111 crore to over 7.5 lakh pension beneficiaries across the state's pension schemes.

Because payments go out in DBT cycles rather than on a fixed calendar day, a beneficiary should expect the pension to arrive in instalments covering a quarter or a set of months rather than on the same date each month. Check your passbook or the portal rather than assuming a missed payment.

How to check your application and payment status

1. Open ssp.uk.gov.in and use the pension status or beneficiary search option.
2. Enter your application number, or search by district, block and name if you have lost the number.
3. The screen shows whether the application is pending at block level, sanctioned, or rejected, and whether payments have been released.
4. If the record shows sanctioned but no money has arrived, the problem is almost always the bank account, check Aadhaar seeding and that the account is active and CBS-enabled.

Why Teelu Rauteli pension applications get rejected

• Disability percentage outside the 20 to 40 band. Above 40 percent, the correct scheme is the Divyang Pension; below 20 percent, no disability pension applies.
• No Gram Panchayat open meeting proposal. This is a hard requirement and its absence stops the file at block level.
• Non-CBS or dormant bank account, or an account not in the applicant's own name.
• Name mismatch between Aadhaar, bank passbook and family register.
• Age outside 18 to 60.
• Duplicate pension — already drawing a state pension for the same disability.
• Urban address on the record, since the scheme is for rural farmers.

Most rejections are document problems, not eligibility problems. Fix the document and re-apply; there is no penalty for a fresh application.

Related Uttarakhand pensions to check

• Divyang Pension Scheme, Rs 1,500 a month for more than 40 percent disability, age 18 and above.
• Bauna (Dwarf) Pension Scheme: Rs 1,200 a month for persons above 21 years whose height is four feet or less, with no income limit.
• Old Age Pension, the scheme a Teelu Rauteli beneficiary moves to at 60.
• Divyang Bharan Poshan Anudaan, a maintenance grant administered by the same department.

All of these are applied for on ssp.uk.gov.in, so one visit to a CSC can cover more than one entitlement in a family.

Where to get help

• Social Welfare Department toll-free helpline: 1800-180-4236
• Departmental mobile and WhatsApp: 63952 21188
• Social Security Portal: ssp.uk.gov.in
• Apuni Sarkar portal: eservices.uk.gov.in
• District Social Welfare Officer of your district

Application is free. No agent or middleman can charge you for getting a pension sanctioned, and no official will ask for an OTP sent to your phone.