# Congress govt to start Cheyutha pensions for 3 lakh new beneficiaries from Oct 2026-09-22T21:12:06+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Congress government in Telangana will begin disbursing Cheyutha pensions to three lakh new beneficiaries from October, ahead of the Dasara festival. Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Seethakka directed officials to expedite field-level verification of applications and complete the process within the stipulated time. The minister instructed SERP CEO Divya Devarajan to speed up verification and deploy additional staff if needed to avoid delays. She stressed full pension coverage for eligible single women and widows. Pensions will also go to persons with disabilities, toddy tappers, handloom workers, and those with filariasis, thalassemia, sickle cell disease or haemophilia. District collectors will verify eligibility using certificates from relevant departments: widows need husband's death certificate, single women need separation certificate or local verification report, toddy tappers need excide department certification, and handloom workers need textiles department certification. After field verification and district-level approval, the collector will sanction the pensions. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The Cheyutha pension scheme, introduced by the previous BRS government in 2018, was a flagship welfare programme covering over 40 lakh beneficiaries. The Congress government's expansion by 3 lakh new beneficiaries signals an election-year push to consolidate its voter base among women and marginalised groups. The Dasara deadline, a festival in October, sets a tight timeline for district administrations to clear verification backlogs. The key test will be whether the state can process all applications and begin disbursement before the festival without complaints of exclusion. Watch for monthly pension amounts and total budget outlay for the new enrolments in the next state budget. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com Tags: Cheyutha pension, Dasara, Seethakka, SERP, Telangana Congress Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/congress-govt-to-start-cheyutha-pensions-for-3-lakh-new-beneficiaries-from-oct/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/congress-govt-to-start-cheyutha-pensions-for-3-lakh-new-beneficiaries-from-oct/#story-in-brief