HelpAge India will organise a jatha as part of the ‘Age demands action campaign’ from Nehru Maidan to the Deputy Commissioner’s office on October 1 demanding old age pension to all older persons living below the poverty line, said HelpAge India State in-Charge Ram Babu.

Speaking at a press meet organised on Saturday, he said a signature campaign will also be organised on the occasion demanding pension, which will be submitted to the DC to be forwarded to the State government. Only 5 lakh aged persons, that is 6 per cent of the elderly population, has been provided old age pension at present, he explained.

Service projects assisted by HelpAge India includes assistance to over 1,000 old age homes in our country, over 40,000 cataract operations with intraocular lens transplant conducted last year, nearly 300 projects undertaken to promote independence of the elderly along with micro-credit facilities, sponsoring over 17,000 aged persons under the scheme with a monthly pension of Rs 600 per month, 53 mobile medicare units catering to the needs of the aged in the remote and rural areas, home care services, help line for elders (1090), disaster mitigation during cyclones and earthquakes and alzheimer and palliative care. In DK district, the NGO has assisted Abhaya Ashraya, Konaje, St Joseph’s Prashant Nivas, Vincent de Paul Society, Udupi and Anandashram, Puttur. At St Joseph’s, it has adopted 200 aged persons providing assistance of Rs 9,70,500 per annum, at Sisters of Charity, Jeppu, also 200 aged persons have been adopted with an annual grant of Rs 11,95,544 per annum and at Abhaya Ashraya, Konaje, it has adopted 120 old persons with annual assistance of Rs 5,27,444.