Valley
Senior citizens receive allowance
The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) on Thursday started distributing annual elderly citizen’s allowance within the metropolis.Anup Ojha
The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) on Thursday started distributing annual elderly citizen’s allowance within the metropolis.
The second joint meeting of the KMC executive body had approved a decision to provide elderly citizens above 88 years with an annual allowance of Rs12,000 and free health check-up at home.
Newly-elected KMC Mayor Bidhya Sundar Shakya and Deputy Mayor Hari Prabha Khadki launched the distribution drive, handing over the allowance amount to Bhesmanjari Pokharel, 92, from Ward-1 Naxal.
A total of 596 people will be eligible to avail this facility by this fiscal year ending July 16, according to the KMC’s Social Development Department (SDD).
“Now the citizen of Kathmandu can feel the real change,” said Shakya, adding that the campaign has been started to support the elderly people who are found reluctant to visit hospital for check-ups.
The metropolis has divided 32 wards into eight sectors and deployed a doctor, a nurse and an auxiliary health worker for each sector.
The metropolis has provided the service to 28 citizens from Wards 1, 3, 5, 12 and 17 until Friday afternoon.
Most of the elderly people have problems related to orthopaedic, diabetes and blood pressure, according to doctors involved in free door-to-door check-ups.
The citizen of the metropolis can avail these services based on their voter ID card and citizenship.
The health check-ups and distribution of allowance will be carried under the leadership of the newly-elected ward representatives.
In 2014, the metropolis had announced Rs10,000 in annual old age allowance for senior citizens.
Beginning this fiscal year, the government started distributing Rs2,000 in monthly allowance to citizens above 70—who are not pensioners citizens. The age bar is 60 for old people in Karnali and the Dalits.