The Women, Children, Senior Citizens and Social Welfare Committee of the Legislature-Parliament mulls proposing the government to increase the senior citizens’ allowance based on their economic status.

The consideration came in the wake of the senior citizens’ request for hiking the current monthly allowance to Rs3,000.

Ranju Kumari Jha, the committee chairperson, said the demand is “genuine and addressable by the state”.

“In comparison to demands that come our way, this is addressable and we will propose the government to address it,” Jha said. “However, I don’t think it will be fair to provide the allowance on a blanket approach with Rs 3,000 as the ceiling.”

She instead proposed providing allowances to senior citizens under three categories: Rs 3,000 to those with no other source of income; reduce the amount slightly for those with other economic source to ease the state’s coffers and continue with the current provision of Rs1,000.  

Last month, the committee had directed the Ministry of Women Children, Senior Citizens and Social Welfare to furnish data on numbers of current recipients of the allowance.

The government had increased the elderly citizens’ allowance from Rs500 a month to Rs1,000 this fiscal year. Under the new provision, elderly citizens are also entitled to annual medical allowance of Rs 5,000.