ID cards to 200 thousand senior citizens in two years

Kathmandu - The government in a period of the past two years distributed identity cards to 200 thousand senior citizens. 

As per the national census (latest) 2011, the population of the senior/older citizens makes up 2.2 million of the total population of the country. 

According to Meera Sherchan, Chief of Senior Citizen Unit at the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare, senior citizen identity card were distributed from the District Women and Children Offices to the people above 60 years of age in the last two years.

The maximum cards (70 thousands) were distributed in the Kathmandu Valley in the period, she said. 

Aged citizens get 50 per cent discount in the public transport and hospital on the basis of same card. 

Older people have expressed their concerns over the lack of full implementation of the discount facility announced for them in hospitals and public transport. 

According to Sherchan, senior people especially of rural areas are unaware of facilities they get in case of the possession of identity cards and people coming from there to make the card is very low. This card will be distributed from the local level in the days ahead. 

Currently, the government provides Rs 2,000 monthly to the older people above 70 years of age, who are not government pensioners, under the social security allowance scheme, and there are voices for providing such allowance to the older people above 60 also.