The Senior Citizens’ Friends Welfare Association will take out an elderly rally and a dharna in all 14 district centres and in front of Union government offices on January 5 in protest against the alleged neglect of senior citizens by the Union government.
Kadakampally Surendran, MLA, will inaugurate the rally and dharna in Thiruvananthapuram. MLAs will inaugurate the protest in some other places too. H. Salam, MLA, will inaugurate the rally and dharna in Alappuzha; Xavier Chittilappilly in Thrissur; P. Mammikkutty in Palakkad; and P. Nandakumar in Malappuram. In Kannur, M.V. Jayarajan will open the protest.
The association is organising the protest to raise various demands such as increase in old-age pension given by the Union government from ₹200 to ₹5,000; restoration of concession in train ticket prices for all above the age of 60; announcement of new national policy for senior citizens; implementation of free health insurance for them; fixing EPF pension as minimum ₹9,000; form a national elderly commission; and include association representatives in the national council for senior citizens.
