PMC’s thumbs-down to elected representative’s Rs 1000-pension proposal

The proposal for a pension of Rs 1,000 for all senior citizens in the city was approved at the women and child welfare committee of PMC and sent to the municipal commissioner’s office for his opinion.

In response,municipal chief Mahesh Pathak said,“The PMC has made a provision of Rs 30 lakh in the budget for starting a recreation centre for senior citizens in the city. At present,one centre has been set up. Others would soon be constructed as per availability of land.”

Under the the state government-run Sanjay Gandhi scheme,senior citizens get Rs 500 every month. They get an additional amount of Rs 500 under the Shravanbal scheme.

“There is no budgetary provision for a pension of Rs 1,000 to senior citizens in the city. It is just not feasible for the civic body,considering the large population of senior citizens in the city and the large allocation needed for such a scheme. There are already government schemes in place that provide them with financial aid,” he said.

In the proposal,tabled by Shiv Sena corporator Kalpana Thorve and NCP corporator Suvarna Thorve,it was demanded that PMC should start a monthly pension of Rs 1,000 for senior citizens living in the city.

There are a large number of senior citizens in the city. The senior citizens suffer due to bad treatment meted out to them by their children. They are either shifted to old age homes or made to suffer at home.

The state government provides them with a facility of concession in travel in state transport buses,while the Union government provides concession in railway tickets along with other various schemes. But,the PMC does not provide any special facility for them. They should start a pension plan,they said,while explaining their move,feel the corporators.