120-yr-old woman finally gets coverage

The Daily Star on October 9 ran a report, headlined ‘Govt social security programmes: 120-yr-old woman still out of coverage’, about Chan Banu being left out of social security schemes of the government.

After the publishing of the report, departments concerned took necessary steps to bring her, a resident of Sukhdugi village, under the social safety net.  

Mizanur Rahman, social welfare officer in Kalapara upazila, said, “Soon after we found out about the elderly woman, we recently issued the card [in her name] to bring her under the coverage of the Old Age Allowance.”

On Wednesday, they called in her eldest son Aiyub Ali to the office and handed over her card to him.  

Chan Banu will start receiving the Tk 500 allowance in her bank account, effective from the month of October and the chairman of Dalbuganj Union Parishad has already given Aiyub her birth registration certificate, with which she will be able to open a bank account, Mizanur also said. 

After her day labourer husband died 30 years ago, Chan Banu became a dependent of their three sons and three daughters. But all these years, she was left out of the government’s Widow Allowance scheme.

Being a dependent elderly woman, she had been drifting from one place to another, including the capital Dhaka, to stay with a son or a daughter.

As Chan Banu could not live in her home village, in Neelganj under Neelganj union of Kalapara upazila, during most part of the time, she was also left out of Old Age Allowance -- another social security scheme of the government.

Three years ago, she moved to Sukhdugi village in neighbouring Dalbuganj union in the same upazila to stay with her day labourer son Aiyub.

Now 80, Aiyub is too old to provide for his family as well as for his mother. His siblings do not have the financial solvency to support their mother either.