Farmers' Pension Scheme: 125,000 qualify

by S.M. Wijayaratne, Kurunegala Cor

Around 128,659 members have qualified to enjoy the benefits of the Farmers' Pension Scheme from this month.

However, 959,254 persons have obtained membership of this scheme island-wide at present.

The Government will start paying the pension benefits from this month. Accordingly, at the age of 64, a member would receive a minimum monthly benefit payment of Rs. 1,500. The benefit payments would range from Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 5,000. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has allocated Rs. 1,000 million for this fund this year from the Budget.

"In the future too, the Government will set aside a similar amount of money for the Fund for which Cabinet approval has been granted," said President, Kurunegala District Small Farmers' Association, S.M. Wimalasena at a conference of representatives of village farmer societies in the Kurunegala district, held recently at the Bingiriya Agrarian Services Centre, Kurunegala.