People of Sindh on Wednesday lauded the Sindh government for the passage of Senior Citizens Welfare Bill, 2014, from Sindh Assembly on Wednesday.
A large number of members of the Older People Associations (OPAs) of Sukkur and Shikarpur districts besides representatives of NGOs including Nisar Ahmed Pathan, Shahzado Khaskheli, Rafique Soomro and others took out rally from Hathi Dar to Press Club Shikarpur.
They were of the view that after passage of the bill the senior citizens would be entitled to various concessions including special discounts on healthcare, travel, social protection and other services. Speaking on the occasion, SRSO Project Coordinator Rafique Soomro said that the passage of bill was made possible by the joint efforts of the OPAs, Help Age International & Sindh Rural Support Organisation (SRSO). He urged that now the government needed to implement this law in its full spirit as the law included provisions of age friendly services. Moreover as per the law, a senior citizen welfare council will be formed under the ministry of social welfare, and this council will work for protection of rights of older people and make sure of age-friendly services and their welfare.
Focal Person of the Help Age Projects, SRSO Nisar Ahmed Pathan, said this was an important achievement and milestone in protection of the rights of millions of senior citizens in Sindh. Shahzado Khaskehli, a programme manager of the Help Age International Sindh chapter, said that local governments should also be ordered to prioritise elderly people for assistance during calamities, disasters and even during economic recession.
A law and provision already exists but ALL of the sort is on paper – like we have Supreme Court Rulings etc etc without implementation. And so are the laws – one for common man and another for VIPs. Would have been better if this organization would publish contact numbers and addresses to those who may need their help.
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