Senior citizens ineligible for loans, insurance, eligible only for paying taxes    

Srinagar: Senior citizens after crossing a certain age become ineligible for loans, insurance and other benefits but they pay taxes regularly.
A senior citizen on Tuesday posted on social media: “After the age of 70, senior citizens are not eligible for medical insurance, loan on EMI, no driving license, no jobs are offered due to weak physique, left to dependence. But he has to pay all taxes on his purchase for his survival. Does not senior citizen who has no dependences in his life needs justification? In his young time he paid all taxes. The government spends crores on irrelevant schemes but never plan any relief for needy senior citizen of this country. What a tragedy to be an Indian senior citizen.”
An observer while talking to Precious Kashmir said, “Senior citizens despite working hard for their entire life are abandoned when they actually need the support.”
He said, “There are many cases in Kashmir where children are working in foreign countries and their parents are staying here.”
The observer said, “It’s unfortunate that when people become old they are left alone by the government as well as their children.”
Referring to the issue of senior citizens paying all the taxes despite them not being eligible for jobs, loans and other benefits, the observer said, “The issue about senior citizens paying all taxes is though provoking. If they are not eligible for any benefits then why are they made to pay all the taxes.  The government needs to think about providing them some relief.  No one remains young forever, everyone becomes old and all the senior citizens don’t retire as government employees and have a fixed pension.”
He said, “To claim that all elderly are left in lurch by their children is a sweeping statement. There are a few children who stay with their parents till their last breath but many parents are abandoned by the same children, whom they bring up by giving their sweat and blood. The worst sufferers are the elderly people who have no source of income, and the ones who don’t have any children.”
An analyst said, “There are not many old age homes in Kashmir, but these need to be developed as elderly people in many cases face humiliation even within their homes.”
He said, ‘The government needs to introduce some scheme for the elderly people and should come for their rescue. This is a burning issue which needs to be addressed.”

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