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Pensioner, `It is impossible to live on 23 thousand drams.'
http://karabakh-open.info/en/societyen/4687-en1021
Friday, 07 June 2013 14:20
The latest rumours about the rise in gas and electrical energy rates
caused dissatisfaction especially among the pensioners who, as they
say, do not have enough money to make their monthly payments and to
buy food during the month.
`My pension amounts to 33 thousand drams and I have a lot of health
problems but my pension suffices only to pay for public utilities and
to buy some medicine. I have to deprive myself of a lot of things in
order to make both ends meet until next month,' says 80-year-old Mrs.
Zoya in trouble who thinks that pensioners should receive at least 60
thousand drams' monthly pension for their living.
Today part of pensioners have to work, some of them wipe the streets,
others cultivate a vegetable garden, the rest sell sunflower seeds,
some like 82-year-old Mr. Maxim work as night watchmen. `Mere pension
will not last us till the end of the month, half in joke, half
seriously says he and adds, `I work as a watchman in one of
Stepanakert schools. It's all right, I do not complain, but if it were
not for my work it would be impossible to make both ends meet with my
pension.'
80-year-old Mrs. Seda like many of her contemporaries has to forget
about her health problems, as the pension she gets hardly suffices to
pay for public utilities. `I have some problems with my eyes. Doctors
say I should be operated on otherwise I'll go blind. But how can I
think of any operation with my 30 thousand drams' monthly income? I
pay 20 thousand drams for my flat rent, with the rest I pay for public
utilities, nothing remains of the pension. `Thank God I have two
sisters in the village who sometimes send me some garden crops
otherwise I don't know what I should do,' Mrs. Seda notes regretfully.
83-year-old Mrs. Lusik has been renting a flat in Stepanakert for 9
years and as she assures she pays 50 thousand drams for the house rent
whereas her pension is only 23 thousand drams. `Is it possible to live
on 23 thousand drams? It does not suffice even for bread during the
month. In the recent months I have been selling sunflower seeds in the
streets of Stepanakert. But the policemen do not let saying that the
pavements are not for selling sunflower. Each time I get ashamed but I
have no other way out,' says Mrs. Lusik.
Tatevik Khachatryan
http://karabakh-open.info/en/societyen/4687-en1021
Friday, 07 June 2013 14:20
The latest rumours about the rise in gas and electrical energy rates
caused dissatisfaction especially among the pensioners who, as they
say, do not have enough money to make their monthly payments and to
buy food during the month.
`My pension amounts to 33 thousand drams and I have a lot of health
problems but my pension suffices only to pay for public utilities and
to buy some medicine. I have to deprive myself of a lot of things in
order to make both ends meet until next month,' says 80-year-old Mrs.
Zoya in trouble who thinks that pensioners should receive at least 60
thousand drams' monthly pension for their living.
Today part of pensioners have to work, some of them wipe the streets,
others cultivate a vegetable garden, the rest sell sunflower seeds,
some like 82-year-old Mr. Maxim work as night watchmen. `Mere pension
will not last us till the end of the month, half in joke, half
seriously says he and adds, `I work as a watchman in one of
Stepanakert schools. It's all right, I do not complain, but if it were
not for my work it would be impossible to make both ends meet with my
pension.'
80-year-old Mrs. Seda like many of her contemporaries has to forget
about her health problems, as the pension she gets hardly suffices to
pay for public utilities. `I have some problems with my eyes. Doctors
say I should be operated on otherwise I'll go blind. But how can I
think of any operation with my 30 thousand drams' monthly income? I
pay 20 thousand drams for my flat rent, with the rest I pay for public
utilities, nothing remains of the pension. `Thank God I have two
sisters in the village who sometimes send me some garden crops
otherwise I don't know what I should do,' Mrs. Seda notes regretfully.
83-year-old Mrs. Lusik has been renting a flat in Stepanakert for 9
years and as she assures she pays 50 thousand drams for the house rent
whereas her pension is only 23 thousand drams. `Is it possible to live
on 23 thousand drams? It does not suffice even for bread during the
month. In the recent months I have been selling sunflower seeds in the
streets of Stepanakert. But the policemen do not let saying that the
pavements are not for selling sunflower. Each time I get ashamed but I
have no other way out,' says Mrs. Lusik.
Tatevik Khachatryan