Elders feel relief with government’s decision to provide extra financial support

Kathmandu, July 15: Elderly citizens say they have felt bit of a relief with the government decision to provide additional Rs 500 as monthly medical allowance to them. Presently, citizens above 70 years of age are drawing Rs 500 under the heading of Senior Citizen Allowance. 

National Senior Citizens Federation (NSCF) has termed the government decision to increase the allowance to elderly citizens as a positive one. 

The government in the budget for the upcoming fiscal year that was presented by Finance Minister Dr Ram Sharan Mahat at the Legislature-Parliament Tuesday announced to allocate Rs 500 as medical expenses (beside Rs 500 monthly allowance) to the people above 70 years of age. A total of 912,764 people will be the beneficiaries from the government new announcement. 

Federation’s general secretary Chhatra Pradhan said although our demands have not been fully addressed, 'something is better than nothing.' 

Elderly Citizens Joint Struggle Committee chairman Mahaprasad Parajuli said although the government announcement to provide extra Rs 500 to the elderly citizens is positive, demands put forth by the committee are however not addressed. 

A group of elderly citizens have formed the committee and been staging a sit-in in front of the office of the Department of Transport Management, Min Bhawan, putting forth a charter of eight-point demand that includes Rs 3,000 as monthly allowance to the elders (above 60 years as defined by the Senior Citizens Act-2007) and implementation of the Supreme Court mandamus for the implementation of provision (fifty per cent discount on public transport and free medical facilities) for the past 30 months. 

Committee Vice Chair Gam Bahadur Chhetri stressed that the government should recognise the people above 60 years as elderly citizens and grant state facilities to them. The government decision to provide extra financial facility to people above 70 years gives no relief to them. 

The latest census in the country has put the population of elderly citizens above 60 years at 2.2 million. RSS