Death of an elderly person in a queue just to draw his old age pension of few hundred rupees at Tehsil Social Welfare Office in Bandipora district undoubtedly brings into question the regulation of public services in the district particularly the disbursement of old age pension to elderly people and as well as monthly pension to retired Government employees but it simultaneously brings to light the increasing carelessness youth show towards elders within the four walls of their own houses and as well as in their immediate neighbourhood. Never forget that Government can change the procedures adopted for disbursement of old age or monthly pension for the elderly people and retired employees respectively through just one page order but the bad trends and tendencies developing among youth in Kashmir or any other part of the country cannot be reversed even for decades together and as such better for the people to initiate a social awareness campaign for changing the bad trends and tendencies developing among youth particularly those concerning handholding of elders both within the four walls of their houses and as well as at public places like banks and Government offices. Elderly people marching to social welfare offices in bone chilling cold of winter for disbursement of old age pension of few hundred rupees by risking their lives in presence of youth of their own family or youth of the families living in his immediate neighbourhood is very shocking and unfortunate. Youth within the own family of Bandipora’s old aged person or someone from the families of his immediate neighbourhood not volunteering themselves to facilitate his little job of getting old pension of few hundred rupees at the concerned office of social welfare department in Banmdipora shows that concerns for handholding of elderly people is apparently missing among the youth in Kashmir valley now.
- While it is the responsibility of the Government to make the system of the disbursement of all kinds of Government payments including old age pension for elderly people and widows and monthly pension of retired employees hassle free, a vigorous social awareness campaign for generating a sense of belongingness, love and respect for elders among youth in Kashmir is the need of the hour and onus undoubtedly lies on civil society groups, teachers and religious preachers in Jammu & Kashmir .
Had the elderly man of Bandipora district been properly advised atleast to wait for the disbursement of his old age pension of few hundred rupees instead of risking his life he won’t have died in the queue while waiting for the disbursement of his monthly old age pension of few hundred rupees at the tehsil office of the social welfare department in Bandipora. While it is the responsibility of the Government to make the system of the disbursement of all kinds of Government payments including old age pension for elderly people and widows and monthly pension of retired employees hassle free, a vigorous social awareness campaign for generating a sense of belongingness, love and respect for elders among youth in Kashmir is the need of the hour and onus undoubtedly lies on civil society groups, teachers and religious preachers in Jammu & Kashmir.
