Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Old age pension

Sir, — The Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, has introduced an old-age pension scheme covering pensioners who can afford to pay Rs. 33,335 to get Rs. 250 and Rs. 2,77,490 to get Rs. 2,000 a month.

While this gesture vindicates his sagacity, his observation that old age is neither a curse nor a disease is debatable.

At least 10 per cent of the population comprises those who cannot have even half a meal a day, and they remain forlorn and die in penury. Senior citizens should be taken care of by the Centre and the States on a matching basis.

N.V. Rama Rao,

Visakhapatnam, A.P.

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