Pensioners struggle amid COVID-19 crisis
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, June 10 2020:
With all spheres of life affected, old pensioners are having a burdensome time as they have to struggle at treasury offices to provide their proof of life in the form of photographs to continue to avail monthly pension amidst COVID-19 crisis.
As per the rule, photographs of all pensioners, aged or those retired after a long time of service, are taken as proof of life every 6 months at respective treasury offices to continue to avail pension and those who fail would not get their due pension until they renew the proof of their living.
Like normal days, treasury offices, mainly situated in Imphal, are busy taking photographs of the pensioners and family pensioners amidst the crisis adding woes to the very old and helpless pensioners.
Speaking to The Sangai Express, an aged pensioner, who missed his turn to have a photograph taken today at a Treasury Office in Imphal, said that such a rule is not only becoming a burden and problematic to them but also very discouraging and unreasonable, especially in such a situation.
He has to visit the Treasury Office once again, he said while adding that people like him are stuck midway as people above 65 years of age are restricted from going out in the wake of the COVID-19 while they would miss their pension if they fail to submit their proof of life at the same time.
Keeping all these issues in mind, he appealed to all concerned to consider the situation and come out with an arrangement to either put aside the rule of submitting photographs for some time until normalcy returns or ensure the photographs are taken at their respective residences so that they are not subjected to suffer and miss their monthly pensions.