A Call for Better Facilities for Senior Citizens at National Savings Centres

Summary

• When I asked the staff about the poor condition of the centre, I was told that National Savings Centres provide services free of cost and that the Finance Division of the Government of Pakistan does not provide sufficient funds for such facilities.
• National Savings Centres deal with thousands of pensioners and senior citizens who visit to invest their life savings and manage their financial affairs.
• The government must take immediate steps to upgrade National Savings Centres across Pakistan and ensure that pensioners and senior citizens can visit these offices without unnecessary hardship.

AI Generated Summary

By Imtiaz Hussain Solangi, Larkana

 I retired from government service on 1 October 2026. After my retirement, I had the opportunity to visit a National Savings Centre to invest my pension savings. What I witnessed there, however, was deeply disappointing and painful. The waiting hall had inadequate seating arrangements for senior citizens and pensioners. There were no proper air-conditioning facilities, no drinking water and none of the basic amenities that elderly people reasonably expect when visiting a government office.