E-Paper
Govt plans to give old age pension to 10 sex workers
IN A noble gesture to bring sex workers into the mainstream of the society, the Government has decided to give pension to ten over-aged prostitutes (about 60 years) here. The step has possibly been taken for the first time in the country.
IN A noble gesture to bring sex workers into the mainstream of the society, the Government has decided to give pension to ten over-aged prostitutes (about 60 years) here. The step has possibly been taken for the first time in the country.
According to sources, the Varanasi district administration has agreed to grant pension to ten over-aged sex workers of Shivdaspur Red Light area under Kashi Vidyapeeth Development Block here in Varanasi.
The prostitutes to be given old-age pension have been identified as Dulari Devi, Pyari Devi, Champa Devi, Munni Devi (one), Munni Devi (two), Rabia Khatoon, Lalli Devi, Heera Devi, Mungara Devi and Husna Begum, all residents of Shivdaspur Red Light area.
Acting on the initiative of chairman of Bharatiya Patita Uddhar Sabha, Khairati Lal Bhola, the divisional welfare officer of Varanasi and Faizabad, Narendra Kumar Tiwari has directed Block Development Officer of Kashi Vidyapeeth Block to ensure that these women were given benefit of national old-age pension scheme.
“These women have been engaged in flesh-trade since a long time and now are above 60 years of age. Since these women have no other source of earning and now are away from flesh trade, it would be suitable to give them benefit of national old-age pension scheme,” said the letter forwarded to block development officer of Kashi Vidyapeeth Development Block by Narendra Kumar Tiwari.
The letter added, “This step would keep these women away from this evil practice and would bring them into the mainstream of the society.”
Divisional welfare officer Narendra Kumar Tiwari has directed the block development officer to furnish all the official formalities within one-week. “I was pursuing the case of these old sex workers and the administration has agreed to extend the national old age pension scheme for them after a lot of persuasion and follow up,” Kharati Lal Bhola, chairman of Bharatiya Patita Uddhar Sabha told HT over phone from New Delhi.
