Elderly without pension since May

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, December 1

Thousands of pensioners in the state have not received pension since May. Post offices have stopped delivering the amount at their doorstep following the Centre’s directive that the former have to walk to the post office branches to get their pension online.

The Social Justice and Empowerment Department claimed that it released the social security pension to the treasuries of the general post office under the Chief Post Master General of Himachal Pradesh every month, but the post offices had stopped delivering the pension at the doorstep of pensioners.

“They systematically stopped this on the plea that the “Central Government strictly directed the Chief Post Master General of all states to disburse the social security pension online,” said sources.

The pensioners, most of whom reside in rural areas, have written letters to the Chief Justice seeking help.

Parja Devi, Balsu Devi from Larot village, Bhajan Dass, Thakur Sen and Chen Ram from Kharshali village, Ratni Devi of Khabal village, Gopal Singh of Ligan village and Bhagmal of Chirgaon, all from Rohru, lamented that they had not got the social security pension since May.

“When we approached the post office staff, we were told to register online to get the pension as the Central Government has stopped paying the amount at the doorstep as “there was some duplicity in many pension cases,” they resented.

The worst hit are the pensioners living in areas where the online system is yet to be started. The post office branches lack tech-savvy staff and Internet connectivity.

“Can an 80-year-old person walk uphill for 3 to 5 km to get a paltry sum of Rs 1,200 from the post office?” asked RC Verma, a 90-year-old pensioner residing at a village near the Jubbarhati airport.

“It is the duty of the Social Welfare Department and post offices to deliver the pension to the elderly,” said Daleep Singh Rathore, a pensioner.

“Unlike other developed countries, the plight of pensioners in India is understandable considering the fact that the Old Age Pension and Rehabilitation Bill, 2014, is still pending in the Lok Sabha even after four years,” he lamented.

As per the 2011 Census, there are about 1.57 lakh pensioners — over 33,945 in Shimla district alone.

“Postmen used to go door-to-door to deliver pension every month, but the practice has been stopped in the hill state, where the elderly face an uphill task of going to far-off places to get their pension,” said officials.

The situation is no different in other places. The population of senior citizens (people aged 60 years and above) is about 10.38 crore. Himachal gives Rs 700 per month as pension to the elederly and widows (aged between 60 and 70) and Rs 1,250 per month to those who are 80 years or above.