Senior citizens are disappointed
View(s):The Government recently announced that senior citizens will be entitled to 15 per cent annual interest for fixed deposits up to Rs. 1 million at all state banks with immediate effect. However when state banks were contacted we were told this facility is only for those who already have a fixed deposit account of less than Rs. 1 million.
This is very unfortunate and the Government shouldn’t have disappointed us this way. Once the statement is given and accepted by the Government they should stick to it otherwise they lose credibility. As you know those senior citizens who operate a fixed account with state banks are only a fraction of them who are well off in life and are satisfied with the paltry interest state banks are offering. The majority of us are left high and dry.Also the Government didn’t give us the Rs 3,500 increase to the state pensioners as promised in the pre election manifesto. We are not going to live long … so why is this injustice meted out to us? We appeal to thePresident and Minister of Finance to look into this as a matter of priority on compassionate grounds.
M. Rajasingham,
Bambalapitiya