Panchayat Raj Minister J Krishna Rao announced that the Telangana government was releasing pensions to about 35,92,134 persons in the State.
The TRS government had given a total of Rs. 9,651.39 crores to the Aasara Scheme since its inception, he added.
Responding to a question raised by TRS MLA A Ramesh during the Question Hour in the Assembly on Friday, Rao said that the government would spend Rs. 25,000 crores for the next five years on the pension scheme. He said it was still receiving Aasara applications and was ready to release pensions for all eligible persons.
Participating in the discussion, Bhadrachalam MLA Sunnam Rajaiah demanded that the State government give pension to people above 50 years of age in tribal areas.