Ranil Kumar 
Concerns have been raised about the distribution of allowances for senior citizens, as family members collect the funds on their behalf.
According to Sashi Kiran, Assistant Minister for Women, measures are being considered to prevent abuse and ensure recipients obtain the assistance they need.
She claims that keeping track of the 60,000 recipients is a significant challenge.
“All we can do is encourage. It’s very hard to monitor 60,000 people out there and see that everybody gets what they need. We are trying our best, but we know we are appealing to the goodwill of the family members and society to do the right thing. We also know, and we’re trying to work against with other stakeholders the issues of medication, availability of medication, NCD medication, timeliness of them being able to get the medication and the care that they require.”
Kiran adds that efforts are also being made to improve medication accessibility, particularly for non-communicable diseases and to provide mobility aids to senior citizens.
While solutions are being sought in collaboration with various stakeholders, she emphasized that the ministry is optimistic about potential increases in the seniors’ allowance in the upcoming budget.
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