Welfare benefits for senior citizens end up in wrong hands

Life is becoming tough for senior citizens in Bangladesh. The woes of them, especially if they do not belong to the privileged classes, know no bounds. A large portion of the money from the Government Social Safety Net Programmes (SSNP), particularly for the elderly and widow’s allowance, goes to the non-poor owing to nepotism, corruption and political consideration in selecting beneficiaries, says a CPD study.

According to the study, surveyed by the Centre for Policy Dialogue on a total of 486 people — old age: 108, widow: 200 and primary student guardians: 178 — in 29 upazilas of 15 districts and 8 divisions, revealed that non-eligible beneficiaries (elderly and widows) receive roughly Tk 1,500 crore every year as a result of a low beneficiary target and administrative flaws.

Media reports say to avail old-age welfare benefits, the genuine beneficiaries have to pay from Tk 2,653 to Tk 6,000 as a bribe to local representatives and officials involved with the SSNP. If those ineligible claimants can be identified, another 2.5 million elders and widows can benefit from the programme. It is estimated that 3.3 million elderly people and 2.5 million widows are still eligible for benefits but are not receiving them.

Against the backdrop of a very tense global economy, affected by the pandemic and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, people are suffering badly. The prices of commodities have already spiraled out of control. Thus, the study suggested that the allowance amount be increased from Tk 500 to Tk 2,500 for old age and widows and Tk 2,000 for others. The total sum required will be Tk 88,824 crore. This sum of money could be financed from Bangladesh’s yearly tax loss.

Experts at the event claimed that the State was politically and economically imprisoned by a tiny group of wealthy individuals and that while poverty was declining, inequality was sharply rising. In order to minimise inequality, social security programmes should be expanded. And that could only be accomplished if tax evasion is stopped.

It is shocking that many elderly parents are being abandoned by their children, and it is not just an urban phenomenon. In rural areas too, the extended family system is eroding. So perceiving old-age fear is actually a rather great concern. The senior citizens need practical measures to alleviate their grievances regarding welfare benefits and not mere promises giving false hope.