Senior citizens express happiness after receiving social security allowance

Kanchanpur: Senior citizens in Shuklaphanta Municipality, Kanchanpur, have expressed happiness after receiving their social security allowance on time.

Among them, 73-year-old Manadevi Saud of Beldandi, Shuklaphanta Municipality-8, said she was delighted to receive the allowance before Tihar. After receiving the amount, she plans to buy sweets, new clothes, and give Dakshina to her daughter. “We were upset when the allowance didn’t arrive during Dashain, but this Tihar was joyful as the municipality transferred the money to our bank accounts,” she said with a smile.

Similarly, 75-year-old Karbir Saud from the same ward said he was pleased to receive the allowance, though visiting the bank posed challenges. “I had to pay Rs 100 for transportation and travel about seven kilometers on a dirt road to reach the bank. Due to the crowd, I had to wait in line for hours,” he said. “It would be easier if the allowance was distributed at the ward level as before.”

While beneficiaries from 11 wards of the municipality have already received the allowance, those from Ward No. 2 are still waiting. The delay occurred because the beneficiary details from that ward were not sent to the bank in time.

Among those affected is 71-year-old Dhaniram Chaudhary of Ward No. 2, who traveled to the bank expecting to receive his allowance but had to return empty-handed. “My wife and I paid for the auto fare with help from a neighbor, but we had to return disappointed because the municipality didn’t send the money on time,” he said.

According to Information Technology Officer Lokraj Bhatta, the municipality has transferred the allowance of 5,213 social security beneficiaries to their respective bank accounts ahead of Tihar. Among the recipients are 2,650 other senior citizens, 297 senior Dalits, 430 senior single women, 872 widows, 119 people with complete disabilities, 274 people with severe disabilities, and 571 Dalit children.