62 per cent elderly don’t receive pension

New Delhi: More than 62 per cent of elderly people in the national capital have not been receiving pensions and other old age benefits, a survey has revealed.

The survey conducted in 17 slums of the capital has found that 62.6 per cent of the elderly people were not receiving pension and other old age benefits.

The survey was conducted by the Institute for Human Development, supported by Mahila Pragati Manch and Centre For Advoacy and Research  (CFAR) with 3,004 households across three districts of Delhi such as  Northeast, east and Shahdara.

Of the total of 14, 339 surveyed, 444 were persons with disabilities and 2,199 respondents were elderly persons. Of the total respondents, only 37.3 per cent were getting old age pension and the remaining 62.6 per cent were not receiving it and other old age benefits.

About 36.4 per cent (1,094) were female headed households (FHHH) and of them, 79 per cent were widows, 2 per cent had been abandoned and three per cent were single women. Of the total of 860 widows, 269 (31 per cent) were not getting a widow pension.

Of the 444 persons with disability, there were 64 children between the age group of six to 17 with disabilities. Of these, 24 had never been enrolled in schools.

268 had a disability certificate and were getting pensions, while the remaining 176 did not have disability certificate and were not able to access any schemes. The survey questioned people’s exclusion from social entitlements such as education as well.

Of the 3,914 school going children, 61 per cent (2,395) were attending government schools and 1,086 children or 28 per cent (1,086) were found to be dropouts. Of the drop-outs, 36.3 (395) were not interested, 11.1 per cent (121) had failed, 11.6 per cent (126) were not attending schools to take care of siblings and family and 2.3 per cent (25) due to lack of proper facilities.