Shopian, Oct 9: For 70-year-old Mohammad Maqbool, the past three months have meant repeated visits to a nearby bank to check on his old-age pension. Each time, he returned disappointed, with bank officials telling him that the money had not yet been credited.
Since July, Maqbool and many other elderly pensioners in south Kashmir’s Shopian district have been waiting for their monthly payments, leaving some struggling to pay for medicines and other essential expenses.
“I have not received a penny since July,” Maqbool said.
He said pensioners had welcomed the government’s decision to enhance social security pensions, but were now worried because even the revised payments had not reached them.
“We were grateful when the government increased the pension because the earlier amount was very small and it was difficult to manage medicines and other expenses. But what is the use of an increase if we do not receive the money on time? For the last three months, I have been going to the bank and returning empty-handed,” he said.
The Jammu and Kashmir government ordered an enhancement of pensions under the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) and the Integrated Social Security Scheme (ISSS) in April.
Under the revised rates, individuals below 60 years of age are entitled to Rs 1,250 a month, while those aged between 60 and 79 years are to receive Rs 1,500 a month from April 1.
For elderly residents dependent on the monthly payment, even a delay of a few months can create difficulties in meeting routine expenses.
Abdul Salam, another pensioner from Shopian, said he had been forced to borrow money to meet some of his basic needs in the absence of the pension.
“We are old people and most of us do not have a regular source of income. We depend on this pension to buy medicines, food and other things we need every month. When the money does not come for one month, we somehow manage, but when it is delayed for two or three months, it becomes very difficult,” Salam said.
He said pensioners had repeatedly approached banks to enquire about the payments but were often told that the money had not been credited.
“We keep going to the bank hoping that the pension has come, but every time we are told to wait. At this age, we cannot keep borrowing from relatives or neighbours. The government has increased the pension, but we want the payment to reach us regularly,” he said.
The pensioners have appealed to the authorities to look into the delay and ensure that their pending dues are released at the earliest.
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