The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security says it has already distributed over 90% of pension booklets for 2010, since circulation started last November.

According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Human Services Trevor Thomas said most of the remaining booklets belong to overseas citizens and others who may be lethargic in their response.

He further stated that a printing error affecting about 3,000 booklets, on which printers mistakenly published the words “public assistance” instead of “old age pension,” has already been corrected and most of those books have been redistributed.

Thomas also said those pensioners will be able to uplift payment for February. “We have covered all the regions and the hinterland areas including Kamarang, Kurupung and Region One,” he was quoted as saying.

According to GINA, recipients of old age pension have expressed gratitude for the new system the ministry has put in place.

It allows the booklets to be distributed in a timely manner. Minister of Human Services Priya Manickchand had said the new arrangements reflect government’s commitment to ensuring that senior citizens are provided for.

She said the new system was implemented after an assessment of the previous method found that tardy distribution of the booklets greatly affected pensioners. “With the old system, books were distributed in January and the distribution period lasted about six weeks which means that we would not get to some people until March but people need their money,” Manickchand said.

Distribution of 2010 books started on November 16 at several sites countrywide. The ministry has assured pensioners that government is doing everything in its power to replace an inefficient system and ensure they are paid in a timely manner.

The government programme, which assists about 42,000 beneficiaries, is run at a monthly cost of $200 million.

The minister also advised that old identification card numbers will be used until next year when the new ones would have been properly recorded.

Every citizen from age 65 years will now receive $6,600, which is the new amount announced by the Ministry of Finance.