Hundreds of elderly, widows, single women and differently-abled persons from different districts of Jharkhand gathered at Raj Bhavan for a public hearing organized by the Jharkhand Right to Food Campaign and Pension Parishad and demanded right to universal social security pensions here on Friday.
The public hearing was organized by the Jharkhand Right to Food Campaign and Pension Parishad.
A press communiqué issued by the activists claimed that 17 lakh elderly, widows and differently-abled persons in Jharkhand who qualify for social security pensions, do not receive their entitlement. One important reason is that pension coverage in Jharkhand is not universal.
Even those who do receive pensions face chronic selection errors and administrative glitches. In 2016-17, three lakh pensioners were deleted as “fake”, though many genuine persons, whose pension accounts were not linked with aadhaar, were also excluded.
It said that in view of the situation the public hearing was held on Thursday-two days ahead of the World Elderly Day, which falls on 1st October.
The oral and written testimonies presented by the participants threw light on the havoc created by pensions. They highlighted that people who are not identified as below-the-poverty line (BPL) or earn more than a measly Rs 875 a month in rural areas are not eligible for most state social pensions.
With the rallying call of “APL BPL Band Karo, Sabko Pension, Ration Do”, the participants demanded - implementation of universal pensions, removal of mandatory imposition of Aadhaar, timely payment without delays, an inflation-indexed increase in the pension amount to at least Rs 2000 per month and reducing the eligibility age. They encouraged all political parties to include these lucid demands in their election manifestos.
Noted economist Jean Dreze said, “Pensioners have been badly let down by the Central government. The central contribution to old-age pensions has stagnated at Rs 200 per month for many years. Even that measly amount is not paid regularly, despite Supreme Court orders calling for payment by the 7th of each month. A series of Aadhaar-related problems have made pension payments even more erratic.”