Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal will establish Senior Citizens Homes, to be called Pakistan Homes, for senior citizens over 60 years age, across the country. Sources said initially five homes, one each at provincial headquarters and Islamabad would be established.
They said the estimated expenditure on one Senior Citizens Home would be Rs 15 million which would be met from the unspent Food Support Programme funds.
The government was providing various facilities to senior citizen like 50 percent discount was being provided to them in Railway fare in economy class and 25 percent in upper class, they added.
The sources said that benevolent grants, other benefits and group insurance were being provided to the workers and employees of industrial institutions, trade and business organisations and other institutions working under labour laws under the Employee's Old Age Benefits scheme.
Under Benevolent Fund Scheme, financial assistance to the families of deceased government employee and financial assistance at the time of retirement were provided, they added.
They said special handling counters at major hospitals, railways stations, airline reservation offices, airports, banks and post offices etc were set up to attend them on priority.
The sources said Old Peoples home "AFFIAT" were also established by Punjab government aiming at to provide shelter, food, medical, recreational facilities to the people.
There are 24 special education schools and handicapped centres working in Punjab province. They further said that currently there were eight buildings under the administrative control of the Ministry of Social Welfare and Special Education in Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar having ramp facilities for access of physically disabled persons.