The beneficiaries of the old age pension scheme in this central Kashmir district have expressed strong resentment against the alleged directive by the Social Welfare Department to renew the age certificate, that too at the BMO office in Ganderbal.
The beneficiaries alleged that the attested certificates are been rejected and they are being made to move from one office to another.
“We are being asked to get our age certificates attested by the medical officer in the office of BMO Ganderbal instead of attesting at our respective areas which would have been convenient for us,” Abdul Ahad from Nunar told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO).
Amid severe cold, there were long queues of senior citizens including women and specially-abled persons present on the premises of the Block Medical Officer Ganderbal. Most of these people were in a state of confusion and shivering with cold.
“The administration is not helping us in any way. They only tell us to run from one office to another. We are old people. They don’t even care about our age,” Ali Muhammad, an octogenarian, said.
When the KNO correspondent asked the Chief Medical Officer Ganderbal, Dr Afroza Shah, about the concerns of the beneficiaries, she said they need not come to the BMO office for the renewal of documents.
“They (beneficiaries) just need to visit their concerned BMO’s office where they will be briefed in detail about the procedure,” she said.
“After completing all the formalities there, the documents will reach here and after all the formalities the beneficiaries will be informed to take their documents,” Dr Afroza said.
When asked about those who have lost their documents, the CMO Ganderbal said, “This will be looked at in detail and I will instruct the department about it.”—(KNO)