Senior citizens asked national ID card to access security allowance

Mugu, March 25: The senior citizens from Gamtha village of Khatyad rural municipality-7 in the district have faced difficulty in receiving social security allowance due to not having a national identity card.

Khimta Ghodashaini, 69, Tuli Sanjyal, 70, Purna Chandra Upadhyay, 77, and Saura Devi Ghodashaini, 64, complained that they were facing hardship in securing the state entitlement. The local levels are returning the elderly service seekers empty-handed, reasoning that it was essential to produce national ID cards to claim the allowance.

On the other hand, it takes two to three days of trekking to reach the district headquarters, Gamgadhi, to prepare the national ID card. It has resulted in sheer harassment and deprivation of senior citizens. The senior citizens blamed the local level for not paying heed to this problem.

It could take initiative to resolve the problem, they argued. Khamma Budha, 71, from Khamale village of Khadtyad, wailed that he could not draw money from the bank for a year due to not having a national ID card. He shared that he was struggling to manage daily spending.

The money he receives as an elderly allowance is deposited in his bank account. There are more than 35 such senior citizens and a single woman in ward No. 5 alone not getting access to the allowance. Chauli Budha, 84, from Khatyad, shared the plight that she could not visit the district headquarters because of her poor health.

So, she had no national ID card, which is now made mandatory to receive state entitlement. Chairman of ward no. 5 at Khatyad, Chitra Bahadur Budha, however, blamed the bank for not providing the allowance to the senior citizens, reasoning the need for a national ID card.

There are over 145 senior citizens and a single woman registering their names for social security allowance in the ward. Most of them are not getting the allowance for lack of essential documents.

“The District Administration Office needs to conduct a camp to facilitate the distribution of national ID cards to the locals so that needy ones would get quick access to state entitlements,” Chairman Budha demanded. Meanwhile, Chief District Officer Kamal Prasad Pande informed that they were planning to conduct a public service camp to ensure services at people’s doorsteps. —RSS