President contributes Rs.15,000 for the elderly

New Delhi, May 10 (IANS) President Pratibha Patil Thursday contributed Rs.15,000 to a group of workers protesting in the national capital for a universal pension scheme for the elderly and promised to talk to the government to address their demands.

Pension Parishad, which is spearheading the campaign, received the president's personal contribution on the fourth day of its five-day protest.

"She also told us that she would speak to the government about our demands," a Pension Parishad statement said.

The group claimed that several parliamentarians, including Supriya Sule of the Nationalist Congress Party and Sanjay Nirupam of the Congress, supported their demands. The parishad has also received support from the 'Right to Food Campaign'.

Nearly 3,000 people from 22 states started a five-day dharna at Jantar Mantar in the capital Monday demanding universal pension for the elderly.

Supporting the demand, key campaigners Aruna Roy and Baba Adhav had said that the demand for universal pension was something no political party could afford to neglect.