'Dissolve APL-BPL divide and grant universal pension scheme'

Hundreds of protesters today staged a demonstration here demanding that the government provide universal old age pension scheme for all senior citizens.
The agitators under the aegis of Pension Parishad raised a call to scrap the difference between APL and BPL citizens and offer pension as a universal right to living, among other demands.
Addressing the protesters, activist Aruna Roy accused the the government of playing with the MNREGA scheme and trying to put the weight of corruption on the poor.
"The government says they want to end MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) as it is becoming a source of corruption. It is the officers who do corruption so why should the poor bear the brunt of it. We, therefore, demand that this APL-BPL divide should be dissolved and universal pension scheme be employed," Roy said.

She said the government instead of supporting the demands is saying that the Pension Fund will render the nation bankrupt. "We say you bring Lokpal and reduce corruption rather than denying old people their basic means of livelihood," she added.
The Pension Parishad is demanding Rs 2000 a month pension for all senior citizens, abolition of the APL-BPL divide and granting of universal ration and pension, minimum 100 days of work for each citizen in villages under MNREGA and right to work for urban poor among other demands.

CPI National Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP D Raja pledged full support to the cause and assured them that he will raise the issue in Parliament.

"CPI stands by your struggle and pledges full support to the protest. I have already met the Prime Minister and Jairam Ramesh (Rural Development Minister) and they are aware of the the protests happening here. We will try to take up the issue in Parliament so that your voice can be heard," Raja said.
Economist Prabhat Patnaik too joined the protest and termed universal pension as a basic right and not some "favour by the government".
"This fight is also for rights - of pensions, of education, of employment of health, among others. APL-BPL divide should be ended and every Indian should get sufficient pension," Patnaik said.

Sirajuddin from Rajasthan pleaded that people like him should be allowed to lead their life with honour and dignity.
Protesters had come from places like Pune, Kolhapur in Maharashtra, Muzzafarpur and Araria districts in Bihar.
Traffic was disrupted on Parliament Street here due to the protest.