Makhan Lal, a construction worker who is on the verge of quitting work because of a dislocated shoulder, says: “I haven’t heard of Modi’s pension scheme or Rahul Gandhi’s NYAY… what I know is that we will remain poor, this basti will continue to have open sewage and during rains our houses will be under sewer water.”
Chand Lal, 45, was back at his 8×8 feet shanty in Delhi’s JJ slum in Rohini after a day of disappointment. Washing his feet under the hand pump at the entrance of the basti, he called out to his wife. “Aaj 300 rupay ki kamaayi hui hai bas. (I have earned only Rs 300 today),” he said.
Having migrated from Madhya Pradesh’s Chatarpur district, Lal has been working as a construction worker since the year 2000. He hasn’t saved a single penny so far. While Lal currently isn’t a beneficiary of any welfare scheme, he has no inclination to enrol in the pension scheme launched recently by the Centre to secure his old age either.
Announced in this year’s budget that was presented on February 1, the scheme, Prime Minister Shram Yogi Maandhan Yojana (PM-SYM), aims to provide a monthly pension of Rs 3,000 to workers of unorganised sectors with a monthly income of Rs 15,000 or below after they turn 60 — if they contribute a minimum of Rs 55 every month. The government will co-contribute an equal amount.
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