BJP MLAs stage protest at Rajghat over old age pension issue

New Delhi, Oct 24 (PTI) The BJP MLAs accompanied by the elderly people staged a protest in front of Mahatma Gandhi's memorial at Rajghat on Thursday, over the old age pension issue.
     Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Vijender Gupta accused the AAP government of depriving the elderly people of their rights, claiming that the new applications under the old age pension scheme were stalled since 2017.
     No immediate reaction was available from the AAP over the BJP's charges and claims.
     Addressing the gathering, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva alleged the ruling AAP of splurging public money while not taking care of the elderly people. He said the BJP will not tolerate the "injustice" to the elderly of the city.
     Gupta said that he raised the issue in the Assembly session but the government has not taken any action.
     The current upper limit of the beneficiaries under the scheme is 5,30,000. This means only 5,30,000 elderly citizens in Delhi can receive pensions, he said.
     "This limit has not been increased in the last seven years, leaving around five lakh new applications pending with the government, he claimed.
     There are currently 80,000 vacant spots for the old age pensions but the government has failed to raise the capping limit which is an injustice to the elderly, he claimed.
     Under the scheme, senior citizens in Delhi above 70 years of age are entitled to a monthly pension of Rs 2,500, while those below 70 receive Rs 2,000.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)