Enhancement of Pension Amount In the Offing: Mathur 

                 

Port Blair, Dec. 13: The A&N State Cooperative Bank Ltd. today organized its 7th function of distribution of Cooperative Cards for Door Delivery of Pensions to Old Age, Widow & Handicapped Persons at Dairy Farm Community Hall. Shri Satish Mathur, Secretary to Lt. Governor was the chief guest on the occasion.

Welcoming the Chief guests and other dignitaries, Shri Kuldeep Rai Sharma, Vice Chairman of ANS Cooperative Bank gave a brief of the activities carried out by the Bank. On the issue of  introducing the door to door delivery of pension, Sharma said that the elderly, widowed and handicapped personnel who had to come to Bank so many times to get their pension had to pay transportation charges out of their meager pension amount of Rs 1000/- apart from taking trouble to reach to Banks. He said that the Bank is trying to introduce a scheme to start free coaching classes for the poor children with the help of trained but unemployed teachers.

With introducing this scheme, while these children will get value added education, some unemployed teachers will also get employment. He thus requested to the Chief Guest Shri Satish Mathur to influence his office for enhancing the pension amount for which he had already approached to the Lt. Governor and renewed his request of enhancing it from Rs. 1000/- to Rs 5000/- in place of his previous request of enhancing it from Rs. 1000/- to Rs 3000/- per month. He said that the minimum wages which the AN Administration has granted to its workmen is much higher than that of the current pension and therefore an amount of Rs. 5000/- is justified.

In his address the Chairman of the Bank, Shri Bhagat Singh appreciated the efforts of the Board of Directors, officers and staff of the Bank for their selfless services to the people, especially the hapless people of the islands. He said that by January 2013 he is expecting core banking system to be introduced and soon the Bank will get Scheduled status. Singh stressed upon for more Cooperatives and Self Help Groups in these islands to overcome the unemployment problems.

Satish Mathur, Secretary in his address praised the efforts of Chairman and his team of ANS Cooperative Bank to serve the people of Andaman and Nicobar Islands using the latest technology. He has also appreciated the efforts of door to door delivery of pension to the elderly, widowed and handicapped personnel through Cooperative Cards and also introducing door to door banking facilities.  He said that this facility will be beneficial to all these personnel who are the assets of the Society. 

Referring the request of Kuldeep Rai Sharma for enhancing the pension benefit, Mathur told that Lt Governor has taken up the matter with the concerned department and the order of enhancement of pension is likely to be issued very soon, but the amount of such enhancement is not clear to him.

The General Manager NABARD, Shri S Athirstavel and Senior Citizen Smti Shanta Laxman Singh also addressed the gathering. Shri Ravinder Rao, the Managing Director has proposed vote of thanks.