One hundred billion rupees has been allocated for 2010 to the Pension Department. Rs. 93 billion was paid in 2009. The department has to pay Rs. 7,000 million each month to pensioners as 450,000 pensioners are spread around the country, Pension Director General K. A. Thilakaratne told a media conference at the Public Administration Ministry yesterday.

Thilakaratne said that the Government had decided to deduct Rs. 50 from each pensioner to construct a holiday resort in Ramboda Nuwara-Eliya, but some pensioners in the North did not want a single cent to be deducted from their pensions. Rs. 50 was deducted from 2009 February pensions and around 1,026 pensioners had objected to the deduction.

He pointed out that those who wanted Rs. 50 back would be paid in coming months the pension department had made arrangements to add Rs. 50 to respective pensions, but the department had been getting letters from a number of pensioners that they did not want any deductions to be made. The Department would reimburse the money in the coming months.

Thilakaratne added that the deduction of Rs. 50 had caused a controversy among pensioners and it was implemented as 11 unions of pensioners had agreed to the deduction. The 11 unions had now decided to use the balance Rs. 20 million in the defense fund.

He said that each Government servant who was a permanent employee would be getting his or her pension after 55 years of age. But Government servants who were dismissed, and those who had tendered resignation or due to abolition of post would not get pension. As an exception to the rule any public servant would get his or her pension on medical grounds. Statistics reveal that around 25 pensioners die every day.