Old age and budget blues

Senior citizens have been left in the dark by the Mahinda Chintana Budget. Most of them are getting blind searching for some relief from the budget proposals.

We served in the private sector for over 25 years. We were given only the E.P.F. & E.T.F. benefits on our retirement. We do not get pensions. Most of this money is put into fixed deposits in a bank. We chose the N.S.B. which is a stable bank, but the interest we get is only 11% for senior citizens.

With this money we appear to have one big hobby – seeing doctors at our age! Doctors’ fees have been upped. Medicines are exorbitant and the S.P.C. gives us a mere 5% discount.

We have been completely slated, although there was much talk of the former generation working hard with a sense of patriotism. One should not forget the discipline and patriotic work by the neglected majority of this country. The C.O.L. allowance too has been given only to govt. servants and pensioners. Are we to wait for manna from heaven?

~ I.J. Ratmalana