Increase allowances for elderly, urges Public Accounts Committee

The Public Accounts Committee wants the Welfare Department to review its list of recipients of social aid to ensure no elderly person is left out.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is proposing that the monthly allowance for senior citizens be increased in accordance with the rising cost of living.

PAC chairman Hasan Arifin said it was also recommending that the women, family and community development ministry review the list of recipients and duration of the allowance so that no eligible person is left out.

“PAC agrees that our country is heading towards an ageing society.

“Therefore, the ministry should be more pro-active and find alternatives towards creating a caring nation,” he said in a statement today.

PAC today tabled a report on the allowance programme and services to senior citizens under the ministry and the Social Welfare Department.

The report was based on the findings contained in the Auditor-General’s Report 2016 which was tabled in Parliament on July 31, 2017. -FMT