You can land in jail if you don't look after your old parents in Bihar

Principal secretary of the cabinet department Sanjay Kumar told media persons here that a decision to this effect was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar this evening.

The cabinet approved a proposal of state social welfare department having provisions of punishments which could go up to imprisonment, if sons and daughters did not look after their parents properly in their old ages, he added.

"An amendment has been made in act framed by central government in 2007 for looking after old parents and senior citizens, having provisions giving rights to parents to approach family courts if their wards did not look after them," Mr Kumar said adding that after the amendment in the act, suffered parents would have the option to seek redressal of their grievances from the district magistrates concerned.

A high level committee headed by the district magistrate would dispose off the appeals made by victim parents, he further added.

Pension for elderly

The principal secretary said that in another decision, state cabinet approved a proposal to give pension to old persons above the age of 60 years with effect from April 1, 2019.

People above the age of 60 years would get monthly pension of Rs 400 per month while those who crossed the age bar of 80 years would get Rs 500 per month as pension.

The scheme had been linked with Right to Service Act and Block Development Officers (BDOs) would have to dispose off the claim petitions within 21 days and petitioners would have the right to appeal before Sub Divisional Officers(SDOs), he
said.

Mr Kumar said that state cabinet also gave its approval to provide government jobs to dependents of CRPF jawans Ratan Thakur of Bhagalpur and Pintu Kumar Singh of Begusarai who were martyred in terror attack in Pulwama in February this year.

Stipend of Kisan Salahkar had been increased from Rs 200 to Rs 1000 per month, he added.

Image credit: UNI