Sr citizens await pension as rural co-op banks go dry: BJP

Scores of senior citizens in Thane and Palghar districts of Maharashtra are facing a tough time at the onset of the month as they are yet to receive pension from rural co-operative banks in the wake demonetisation decision, said BJP leader Devidas Patil.
Patil, who is also the director of Thane district central co-operative bank, claimed that nearly 7,000 pensioners in Jawhar taluka in neighbouring Palghar have not received pension and are facing hardships as they solely depend on the pension money for livelihood.
Patil said the financial health of rural co-operative banks is extremely poor as farmers do not have money to repay loans, and hence, banks are in no position to disburse pension to their customers.

Only urban co-operative banks were permitted to accept old notes (of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500) from customers and not rural, due to which situation has arisen that there is no cash left with rural cooperative banks, the leader said.
Rural district co-operative banks will be, however, disbursed money on December 6 but it will be late for those depending financially only on pension money, claimed Patil.
Besides pensioners and farmers, teachers in rural areas of the two districts have also not received their salaries due cash crunch in co-operative banks, he added.