Gimmicks of pension distribution : Time to draw the line
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: August 04, 2012 -
At Rs 200 per month per head, in the case of the Indira Gandhi Old Age National Pension Scheme, and at Rs 60 per month per head under the State Old Age Pension Scheme, the amount is ridiculously low.
Extremely stingy and complementing this ludicrous situation is the much hyped and highly publicised acts of Ministers and MLAs distri- buting the pensions to aged citizens as if the money came from their own pockets. Not exactly cheating but the potential for misleading the public is high.
Mastering the art of taking credit where none is due and the reason why politicians are generally known as 'thick skinned' becomes apparent.
Certainly the yardstick of defining a capable and a compassionate political leader appears to be skewed. Popularity cannot and should not be earned this way.
Little wonder then that ensuring the delivery of PDS items to the people has become a point to be crowed aloud for the political leaders.
The low standard of expectations from the political class cannot be more pronounced than this. Extend this to a bigger canvass and an impor- tant chain in the distorted version of governance is unmistakable.
The zero level expectations from the political leaders is a manifestation of how hopelessly they have failed the people down the years and nothing beats this when these very set of people turn this understanding on its head and live off it for their own benefits. The PDS and Old Age Pension Scheme examples are living testimony of this mindset.
The energy and the verve with which some of the Ministers and MLAs go about distributing the pensions to the aged persons would have meant so much more if only the said energy and enthusiasm had been spent on how to make the scheme actually benefit the needy people.
The old age pension scheme is not all inclusive. Apart from the 65 years mark, under the Indira Gandhi Old Age National Pension Scheme, and the 60 years for men and 55 for women, laid down by the State Government, the Below the Poverty Line is a prominent rider.
Another situation to question the methodology of identifying people under the BPL category which is drawn up by the Union Planning Commission.
These are the points which the law makers should be concentrating on but so warped is the situation in Manipur that no one sees anything wrong in some Ministers or MLAs grabbing prime time while distributing the pension money.
Publicity and self promotion are undoubtedly the raison de'etre of all political figures but when this comes at the price of shifting the focus from the real essence or issue then it is time to call a stop.
Personally distributing pension money is alright as long as it comes within the understanding of extending a helping hand to the aged but when this comes close to something like doling out money from one's own pocket then the line needs to be drawn.
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