NTR Bharosa Pension: Andhra Pradesh’s Social Security Scheme

What it is

• NTR Bharosa Pension is Andhra Pradesh’s social security pension scheme.
• Most categories now get ₹4,000 a month, up from ₹3,000.

Who gets it

• The elderly.
• Widows and single women.
• Weavers, toddy tappers and fishermen.
• People with disabilities and leprosy-affected people.

Higher rates for the disabled

• Disabled and leprosy-affected people: ₹6,000, up from ₹3,000.
• Fully disabled, bedridden people: ₹15,000, up from ₹5,000.

Size of the scheme

• It covers over 60 lakh people.
• On 1 July 2024, the state released ₹4,408 crore to 65.31 lakh people.
• Each got ₹7,000: the ₹4,000 pension plus ₹3,000 of arrears for April to June.
• The hike took effect from 1 April 2024.
• The disability pension rose from ₹3,000 to ₹6,000 in the same hike.
• Monthly pensions have since been released as ₹2,692.34 crore for October 2026.
• That round reached about 61.80 lakh people.
• Fresh applications were taken from 7 to 16 September 2026, and about 13.40 lakh came in, per The South First.

Other rates

• People on private or government dialysis for chronic kidney disease (CKDU) get ₹10,000 a month.
• So do people with sickle cell disease and thalassemia.
• Other covered groups include single women, traditional cobblers, dappu artists, transgender people and fishermen.

How it is paid

• Money goes by Direct Benefit Transfer on a fixed monthly schedule.
• On 1 July 2024, CM Naidu personally delivered a pension to one beneficiary’s home.
• In October 2026 the state again chose doorstep delivery.
• Staff withdrew the cash from banks on 30 September and began distribution at 6:30 am on 1 October.
• Minister Kondapalli Srinivas said all arrangements were made so pensions could start on the 1st.

The name

• The scheme honours N.T. Rama Rao, the TDP’s founder.
• He was also Naidu’s father-in-law.

Timeline

• October 2014: Naidu launches NTR Bharosa, after the state’s bifurcation.
• 2019: Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSRCP wins and renames it YSR Pension Kanuka.
• 2024: Naidu returns and restores the name NTR Bharosa.

The 2024 election

• The TDP-led NDA won 164 of 175 seats.
• YSRCP fell to 11.
• Naidu was sworn in on 12 June 2024 for his fourth term.

Higher payouts on 1 July 2024

• Amounts rose in every category.
• The steepest rise was for fully disabled, bedridden people, from ₹5,000 to ₹15,000.

Compare

• In Odisha, KALIA became CM-KISAN after a change of government.
• Madhya Pradesh’s Ladli Behna has its own political story.
• Pensions for the elderly also connect with the Senior Citizens Act, 2007.

Latest position

• The restored NTR Bharosa name has been in use since 2024.
• Pension amounts rose on 1 July 2024.
• More than 60 lakh people now draw it.
• The October 2026 round reached about 61.80 lakh people.