Pensioners urge measures to ease their hardship
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, September 06 2011:
Aged pensioners who were once employees of different government departments have to stand in long queues to transact their monthly pensions from banks, creating a lot of problems for them.
An aged pensioner, who was also standing in the long queue in front of the State Bank of India, totally exhausted, cried out for a reasonable solution to their problem.
State Bank of India, Imphal Branch, MG Avenue is where most of the pensioners have their bank accounts.
There is a Senior Citizens Branch in this bank which is exclusively for the aged people.
Even with this branch in operation it is not possible to handle the volume of transaction forcing the aged pensioners to stand in queue for long hours in the beginning of every month.
L Bokulchand, retired Head Master of a government school told Hueiyen Lanpao that this sort of problem is faced by aged pensioners every month.
He suggested opening of more booths or counters in the Senior Citizens Branch.
Some of the aged pensioners also complained about time wasted even while withdrawing money from the ATM booth of the Senior Citizens Branch, SBI, MG Avenue.
Many of these aged pensioners who were standing outside the bank in scorching sun revealed that however early they come in the morning, the queue has already been formed.
They complained that even the update machine which is required to check the balance of the pensioners in the Senior Citizens Branch has been out of order since July last.
The state government should, at the earliest possible time, come with a specific plan to solve all these problems of the aged pensioners.
In the meantime, officials of SBI, Imphal said that pensioners face these problems only in the beginning of a month.
After the 10th of every month these problems seldom arises.
The bank is also planning to increase the number of staffs so that the pensioners can withdraw their pension amount in no time.
Speaking to Hueiyen Lanpao, officials of Treasury Office, Imphal said that there are around 40,000 pensioners in the state out of which 20,000 are under the supervision of Imphal Treasury.
Of this 20,000 pensioners, 5,000 of them have accounts in the State Bank of India, Imphal branch, MG Avenue.
In earlier times when there was no provision for opening accounts in banks, the pensioners had to go to the Treasury office and get their pension book signed by the Treasury officer.
But there is no need for this now as the money is automatically transferred to their account.
They can withdraw their required pension's amount any time, he said.
He further went on to say that all pensioners have to come to the Treasury office every six months to renew their pension books.
Their photographs are taken for renewal.
If this process is not done on time than their pensions will not be transferred to their account.
Another pensioner who came to Treasury office said that they don't face those problems which they once used to while trying to get the signature of the Treasury officer.
But still problems in transacting money from the bank still persists.
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