National
Doorstep allowance handout drive pleases senior citizens
After elderly citizens complained of difficulties in collecting social security allowance from banks, most local units in Parbat have started to provide monthly benefits to senior citizens at their doorsteps.Agandhar Tiwari
After elderly citizens complained of difficulties in collecting social security allowance from banks, most local units in Parbat have started to provide monthly benefits to senior citizens at their doorsteps.
Earlier, senior citizens in the district had to visit their nearest banks to get their social security allowance. They had to stand in queue for hours to receive a sum of Rs 2,000 each.
The government provides social security allowance to the citizens who are above 70 years old.
According to the census of 2011, there are around 2.1 million people aged 60 or above in the country.
The then District Development Committee had decided to provide social security allowance to senior citizens through banks three years ago.
The elected people’s representatives in Parbat recently made the point of handing out social security benefits to the elederly people at their doorsteps to ease their burden, said Arjun Bhandari, ward chairman of Phalebas Municipality-3.
“Many local units including Phalebas Municipality launched the door-to-door campaign from last week. The senior citizens are pleased to receive their benefits at their homes,” he added.
Sher Bahadur Sunar, the ward chairman of Phalebas Municipality-11, said the happiness of elederly people had doubled as the campaign was launched just ahead of the Dashain festival.
“We don’t want any senior citizen in our ward strapped for cash this festival season,” he said.
The elected representatives of Kushma, Jaljala, Modi, Bihadi, Paiyu and Mahashila are also busy visiting the senior citizens at their homes to hand them their social security allowance these days.
The senior citizens are delighted by the doorstep campaign launched by their local units.
“I am happy to receive the allowance at home. We had to go through many troubles to collect our benefits from banks in the past,” said Manrupa Sharma of Phalebas.
She hopes to celebrate the Dashain and Tihar festivals with her allowance.