New Delhi, Feb 27 (IANS) Social groups working for the elderly and other vulnerable people in the country Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to look into the issues concerning old-age pension, including increment in the amount and lowering age of the beneficiaries.
In a letter to Modi, Pension Parishad, a conglomerate of many groups working in the social sector, said the elderly poor in India live in a state of perpetual crisis and must be looked after well.
Pension amounts continue to be "criminally low and completely insufficient". In many states, in the absence of contributions by states, the people continue to receive a paltry sum of Rs.200 a month, they said in the letter.
In Assam, the monthly pension amount is Rs.250. In West Bengal and Gujarat it is Rs.400 a month.
In Rajasthan and Kerala, social old age pensioners are paid Rs.500 while in Haryana, it is Rs.1,000 per month.
Recently, the government of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have revised their monthly pension from Rs.200 to Rs.1,000, they said in the letter.
Pension must be indexed to inflation, they demanded.
Although some states have increased their pensions from time to time, no state has yet indexed it to inflation. It is only rational, reasonable and humane to index pensions to inflation and to revise the amounts at least once a year, they added.
They also demanded that applying for the pension be made simple. Applying for a pension was extremely cumbersome and time-consuming, the letter said.
Also, there there was an urgent need to revamp the entire payment process as best practices from different states could be brought together to ensure a payment platform that is transparent, timely, corruption-free and efficient, it said.
The social groups also urged the prime minister to revise eligibility criteria for the pension.
In some states like Andhra Pradesh, the age for eligibility for pensions is as high as 65 years.
This should be brought down across the country to 55 years of age - at least for women, they said.
The news of relief has come to light in the country today regarding Corona infection. In fact, af
Dengue Case In UP The number of dengue patients is increasing continuously in the state. Seven an
Fiction, business and disturbing stories (Books This Weekend)
An unlikely friendship, a world full of witches and pirate girls and powerful business entrepren
Microsoft's co-founder Bill Gates has favored India with the Covid-19 vaccine. He said that India
Human trials on the vaccine started in India
Human trials of Indian medicines against Corona have begun and the drug may hit the market soon.
The pace of corona infection seems to be increasing again across the country. According to the da
The nightclub in Goa, where a fire claimed 25 lives, had been the subject of complaints for many
Smart package ordered to promote tourism in Jammu
Jammu, March 13 (IANS) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed on Friday ordered
Mumbai Weather Today: It is raining continuously in Mumbai. Which is affecting the lives of the p
There is a hint of a big upset in Haryana. In the trends so far, the BJP is forming the governmen
