Nuns, other women in religious institutions to get social security benefits in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government on Wednesday cleared a special scheme to enable eligible women residing in religious institutions to access state social security benefits, addressing a long-standing gap in welfare coverage.

The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The government said the move is intended to ease procedural barriers that have prevented many women, including nuns, from receiving financial assistance.

According to a release from the Chief Minister’s Office, the scheme will apply to women living in convents, monasteries, ashrams and other faith-based institutions. Many among them do not have an independent source of income and have found it difficult to comply with documentation requirements for pensions and other welfare schemes.

Under the new arrangement, unmarried women above the age of 50 from these institutions, who do not draw a salary, pension or any other government benefit, will be classified as a special category.

To facilitate access to pensions under an existing government order dated March 31, 2001, the Cabinet has decided to waive the requirement for income and unmarried status certificates. A special application form tailored for this group will be introduced in place of the standard documentation.