Whenever a new incumbent occupies the important chair of a deputy commissioner (DC), he is invited to pay a visit to our industrial outfit for an orientation. They usually come to support various regulatory affairs, but this time the purpose of the visit was unique.
There was talk about the government venture of a universal pension scheme. We were notified that he would come and deliver a talk explaining its various facets so that people are well versed and have no misgivings regarding the government scheme designed to reach out to common people.
When they arrived, the two gentlemen in their early thirties were dressed in dark trousers, light shirts, and polished oxford shoes. They were received cordially and taken round for an orientation trip in an open tourist car. All the industries in the economic zone, both foreign and local, were shown around and they took keen interest in learning about the products, manpower employment, and other issues.
As we sat around the conference table, they were very humble in introducing themselves to the audience, which comprised about two hundred of our employees of various strata of managerial level. The DC gave a short rundown of the scheme, the brainchild of the prime minister which had been conceived a few decades back, and was designed to distribute the benefits of pensions to a large number of citizens outside the domain of pensionable government jobs.
This acts as sort of an insurance for people at the later stage of life, when many tend to become dependent on others as they outgrow their working age. With the growing trend of urbanization and breaking up of families, there are increased possibilities that people end up living an isolated life and having no one to take care of them at their old age. Hence, proper planning at an early age and contributing a minimum amount making judicious use of the various options of the universal pension has the potential to benefit a substantial number of our citizens who would need it the most.
Live demonstration
What was so appealing to the audience was the deep understanding and dedication of the civil servants to the very motive of the scheme. They seemed to have a thorough knowledge of the nitty gritty of the scheme, a comparison to what is being done in other countries and the great potential of the scheme to millions of needy citizens. They talked about the benefits of Digital Bangladesh, citing specific examples as to what services people were already receiving which saved them a lot of hassle.
The TNO himself sat down with his laptop, got a volunteer from the audience and introduced him instantly to one of the options of the pension scheme. As he was convinced and gave his consent, within a few minutes and a few keystrokes the TNO managed to successfully open a pension account for the volunteer which the entire audience witnessed in awe and appreciation on the wide screen.
For such long-term projects, an individual will have to be highly motivated and convinced
The officer could have employed a clerical staff to perform this. Instead, he did it himself, thus demonstrating that he was keeping pace with a real Digital Bangladesh galloping towards a smart one.
Our government is fortunate to have such able and dedicated civil servants equipped with the knowledge and technical know-how to serve our citizens. They are representing the government at their level of administration making sure that the actual and intended messages reach the citizens. At a time when there are some misgivings regarding this pension scheme being propagated, this was an appropriate way to disseminate and convince people to avail such a rewarding service.
Acknowledging the honest effort
In our country there are a lot of problems we put up with. Our democracy is less than perfect, and there is so much to deal with in vital issues such as education, health care, and essential services. There is a tendency of blaming the government for anything that goes wrong -- like how some even blame the government for this ongoing heat wave by toying with nature and polluting and grabbing rivers, plundering trees in the name of development.
Same is the case with the universal pension scheme. Some quarters are trying to propagate that the government is just trying to grab public money through this lucrative project. We must realize that the idea of handing out welfare in the name of universal pension for the needy people is a very noble one. It has a great potential to benefit many. To reach its intended result, it must be allowed to be implemented, its procedure needs to be duly explained to people by highlighting its benefits, and enough interest needs to be generated among the target population to attract them. Only then will people be interested in it and allow it to derive its full potential.
Unfortunately, we as a nation are not always frugal in nature. Even going for short term savings such as a five-year long plan, people will often think twice. For such long-term projects, an individual will have to be highly motivated and convinced in order to pick an appropriate plan and continue to contribute till its end.
Brig Gen Qazi Abidus Samad, ndc, psc (Retd) is a freelance contributor.
