Annual Grant Proposed for Bahraini Retirees

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Bahraini retirees would get a yearly cash grant to help ease rising living costs and the loss of annual pension increases under a proposal lodged in Parliament by MP Dr Munir Seroor.

The proposed ‘Annual Loyalty Grant’ would be paid once a year under rules drawn up by the government. It would sit outside the pension system and would not replace either the retirement pension or any future annual rise.

Dr Seroor said retirees had spent decades serving the country and building its institutions, while many now face higher household bills and pensions that buy less than they once did.

He said the grant would give them extra help each year and recognise the years they had spent in work.

The proposal also leaves the door open for the payment to become part of a wider scheme giving retirees benefits and services through government bodies and private firms.

Dr Seroor said its main aims were to soften the effect of suspended pension rises, help families meet higher costs and give retirees greater access to leisure, tourism and other services in Bahrain.

He said such spending would also feed money into tourism, leisure and service businesses.

The explanatory memorandum says the payment would remain separate from pension rights.

“The grant is not a replacement for the retirement pension or the annual increase,” it says, describing it as an independent measure to recognise Bahraini retirees and improve their quality of life.

Dr Seroor said the proposal was built on the principle that people who had given years of service should continue to be recognised after retirement.

The proposal, filed under Article 68 of the Constitution and Article 12 of Parliament’s internal regulations, will go to the relevant parliamentary committee for study before MPs are asked to vote on it.