GUWAHATI, Jan 4 - Terming the condition of the 25 lakh-odd senior citizens of the State as pathetic, the general secretary of the Asom Jyestha Nagarik Sanmilan, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, during the bi-annual general meeting of the Sanmilan�s Rukminigaon branch held here recently, called for transparency in implementation of welfare schemes meant for senior citizens in the State.
The meeting, held at the ASEB Pensioners� Bhawan at Sixmile, was inaugurated by Mahanta and chaired by the president of the branch Jadunandan Neog.
In his inaugural address, Mahanta recalled that the Sanmilan had been relentlessly pursuing with the State Government to enact a law in line with the Central Government, and it is gratifying that in May last year, the present State Government unveiled the �Assam State Policy for Senior Citizens, 2016� for the welfare of senior citizens of Assam. It is now the duty of the branches or sub-centres to oversee the implementation of the policy for the benefit of members of all hues, he stressed.
Mahanta also pointed out that hard persuasion by the Sanmilan resulted in the setting up of a 30-bed geriatric ward at the GMCH, which will offer free treatment to senior citizens. The Sanmilan demands that one such ward be set up in each district, he said.
Mahanta expressed happiness over the fact that the Sanmilan, which was established in 2003 with only three branches, now has more than 126 branches with over 1.5 lakh members across the State and the number of members is rapidly growing.
Earlier in the meeting, the Sanmilan flag was hoisted by Neog, followed by a group song presented by singer Papari Thakuria and her troupe under the banner of Saptarshi Music School, Beltola. A minute�s prayer was offered for eternal peace of two members of the unit who passed away recently � Birendra Nath Mishra and Satyanath Das.
