Ensure timely pension, provide PPE, masks to people in old age home: Supreme Court

August 4: On Tuesday, the Supreme Court said pension to elderly persons should be disbursed on time and those living in old age homes across the country be provided with personal protective equipment (PPE), sanitisers and face masks during the persisting COVID-19 pandemic. The apex court further stated that the elderly are suffering and steps should be taken by the administration to attend to them whenever any request is made.

A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan said this while hearing a plea filed by former Union minister and senior advocate Ashwani Kumar who said that at the time of the pandemic, it is necessary that pension to elderly reaches them on time. Senior advocate V Mohana, appearing for the Centre, told the bench that states are already making efforts in this regard and this is not an adversarial issue.

The apex court had pronounced the verdict on the pleas by Kumar and one Sanjeeb Panigrahi who both had raised the issues concerning the elderly.