People's Bank pensioners praise budget, say lot of relief for elders
The Peoples Bank Pensioners Association has expressed its deep appreciation of the reliefs spelled out in the budget proposals towards the welfare of the elderly population of the country in general and more specifically to the pensioners in the public sector.
Association President T. Rusiripala said in an announcement that it was encouraging to note that the President has taken into account the gravity of the increasing number of elders in the population and designed innovative policies in their health and welfare systems.
"The age related relief measures announced in the budget will no doubt be a factor for the majority of older men and women to continue to make a contribution to the functioning of society instead of being a burden. In our fast ageing world, older people will have to play a critical role through volunteer work transmitting experience and knowledge, while helping their families, increasing their participation in the work force of the country.
The gesture of recognizing this important sector of the society will certainly bring about a healthy response in this regard," the statement said.
The question of low bank interest for the elderly depositors was remaining unattended over a long period of time. The announced increase for the deposit interest will be of great benefit to the pensioners and senior citizens in this country. Further it is an indirect incentive to bring the deposits to the state banks, it added.
The most outstanding feature in this budget is the unique step taken to correct the inherent anomalies affecting the pensioners. While the expectation of those concerned was to rectify these anomalies by adjusting the pensions with the salary levels of 2006, it came as a complete surprise to have them adjusted on a once and for all basis in relation to the current salary levels as at 2015. The granting of Rs.2,500 interim allowance pending the anomaly correction stands a guarantee of the final resolution of this issue. The pensioners will certainly be grateful for this measure, the statement noted.
"We take this opportunity to invite the attention of the President to direct the authorities concerned to extend his great humanitarian gesture to correct some of the similar anomalies currently prevailing in other pension schemes including the state banks. Such a step taken simultaneously with these historic socio- economic development measures as announced in the budget will cause to complete the desired ripple effect of ending a long spell of the state of dissatisfaction and frustration in these sectors. The pensioners in the public service whose only hope was to depend on sympathies of governments in power to obtain relief against inflation and increasing cost of living will finally have a sigh of relief for achieving their long desired gratification with an anomaly rectification which was long overdue," Mr. Rusiripala said.