Senior citizen allowance to be increased to Rs 750 a month

KATHMANDU, NOV 07 -

The government is planning to increase the allowance for senior citizens by 50 percent to Rs 750 per month from the existing Rs 500. The government also plans to reduce to the minimum age requirement to be eligible for the facility the existing 70 to 65, according to Krishna Hari Banskota, secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office.

“Currently, people aged 70 or above qualify for the allowance. Now, we plan to reduce the age limit to 65,” said Banskota at an interaction organised by the Society of Economic Journalist of Nepal (Sejon) on Tuesday.

In order to boost the housing sector, the government, according to Banskota, is holding talks with the Citizens Investment Trust (CIT) to sell apartments that have remained unsold to top government officials including judges. “There are around 1,000 apartments remaining unsold in the valley,” said Banskota.

On complaints about slow progress in the government’s road expansion drive in Kathmandu, Banskota said the completion date of a particular expansion project should be placed at the site. “Information like breadth of the expanded road, completion date and amount required to complete should be displayed by placing a board at the site,” said Baskota. “In order to disseminate information to the general public and make the project transparent, such board should be placed at the site within a week.”

The government has vowed to carry out the ongoing road expansion at any cost. Currently around 100km road is being expanded inside Kathmandu.

Other government plans in the offing, according to Banskota, are redeeming the value added tax while leasing aircraft, constructing cable car in Pathivara and Sworgadwari and reducing leakage in the petroleum sector, among others.

Source: The Kathmandu Post