Senior citizens of Mangalsen Municipality say they are facing hardships while travelling to the district headquarters every month to collect their social security allowance.

Earlier, the district administration used to distribute old age allowance through the erstwhile village development committees. The Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development later introduced the provision of distributing allowance through bank accounts to control fund misappropriation.

The senior citizens of Mangalsen have been receiving their allowance through Rastriya Banijiya Bank based at the district headquarters these days.

Eighty-year-old Tipuri Jaisi said someone carries him to Mangalsen, the district headquarters, every month so that he can withdraw the allowance of Rs 2,000 from the bank.

“The hassles of travelling on someone’s back and waiting outside the bank is too much for a old person like me,” he said.    

Eighty-year-old Paru Jaisi shares a similar ordeal.

“In the past, the village secretary used to distribute the allowance at our doorsteps. These days I have to set aside at least two days to travel to the district headquarters to get the allowance,” she said.

Senior citizens like Thuire Kami have not withdrawn their allowances in a long time because they are too frail to travel.

“There is no one to carry me to the bank,” said Kami. “The government should provide the allowance to the infirm and disabled people at our homes.”

Padam Bohara, chairman of the municipality, said he was aware of the trouble faced by the senior citizens while collecting allowance.

“We are planning to take the allowance to the senior citizens at their doorsteps, but currently we do not have enough staff for mobilisation,” he said.

There are around 4,000 senior citizens in Mangalsen Municipality.