People 90 and older to start receiving pensions
People 90 and older to start receiving pensions
Myanmar Times, 14 Jun 2017
URL: http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/national-news/yangon/26375-people-90-and-older-to-start-receiving-pensions.html
Pensions for people 90 years old and above will be transferred through local authorities starting Friday.
All people at least 90 years old as well as monks and nuns will receive payments. To apply for the pension one needs to submit a national registration card and household member list. The pension is the government’s first monthly payment program for the elderly.
Most of the elderly in nursing homes have no national registration card or household member list, said Daw Khin Ma Ma, vice president of See Sar Yeik home for helpless and chronically sick old people.
“Most of the elderly here were abandoned. They don’t have documents when they reach our centre. There are 121 residents here, most of whom have no evidence and don’t know how old they are. We guess about ten of them are older than 90, but only two have evidence of their age and can get the pension from the government,” she said.
The Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Ministry has designated four steps for the elderly who have no proof of their age. It recommends getting certification from ward and township administrators, a township immigration department, a township social welfare department and the ministry’s Social Welfare Department in Nay Pyi Taw.
“This process will help get them monthly support,” U Aung Kyaw Moe, director of the Social Welfare Department, said.
The ministry will transfer social pensions to township administrators on Thursday and the administrators will hand them out beginning on Friday. The Social Welfare Department list shows that 31,835 elderly people have applied for pensions. They will receive K10,000 each per month.
The government has allocated K420 million for pensions for the elderly in the 2017-2018 budget. The pension program actually started in April, but the June payment will be the first payment and will cover April, May and June.
“Those people who are going to reach the eligible age can register before the next budget handout, which is in September,” U Aung Kyaw Moe said.
All people at least 90 years old as well as monks and nuns will receive payments. To apply for the pension one needs to submit a national registration card and household member list. The pension is the government’s first monthly payment program for the elderly.
Most of the elderly in nursing homes have no national registration card or household member list, said Daw Khin Ma Ma, vice president of See Sar Yeik home for helpless and chronically sick old people.
“Most of the elderly here were abandoned. They don’t have documents when they reach our centre. There are 121 residents here, most of whom have no evidence and don’t know how old they are. We guess about ten of them are older than 90, but only two have evidence of their age and can get the pension from the government,” she said.
The Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Ministry has designated four steps for the elderly who have no proof of their age. It recommends getting certification from ward and township administrators, a township immigration department, a township social welfare department and the ministry’s Social Welfare Department in Nay Pyi Taw.
“This process will help get them monthly support,” U Aung Kyaw Moe, director of the Social Welfare Department, said.
The ministry will transfer social pensions to township administrators on Thursday and the administrators will hand them out beginning on Friday. The Social Welfare Department list shows that 31,835 elderly people have applied for pensions. They will receive K10,000 each per month.
The government has allocated K420 million for pensions for the elderly in the 2017-2018 budget. The pension program actually started in April, but the June payment will be the first payment and will cover April, May and June.
“Those people who are going to reach the eligible age can register before the next budget handout, which is in September,” U Aung Kyaw Moe said.