Pensión 65 incorporates 184,000 members and this year it closes its task

The National Solidarity Assistance Program Pension 65 will incorporate more than 184,000 new members this Sunday, February 18, which will be very close to reaching the goal of 819,000 that was set for them in July 2023, and which is expected to close with the next national standards.

Currently, the program has more than 630,000 people over 65 years of age registered in the General Household Register with a socioeconomic classification of extreme poverty. With this first registry of 2024, 801,000 beneficiaries will be reached.

President Dina Boluarte had offered in her last message to the Nation that 200,000 new members would be added. Although initially there was talk of 122,000 registered on the February list, the final consolidated figure was greatly exceeded thanks to the efforts of the Ministry of Social Inclusion (Midis), the executive director of the program, Julio Mendigure, confirmed for La República.

“This year the Government has made an effort to close that gap. In that sense, indeed, the first registry that we have approved this week allows us to inform the country that 184,000 older adults are joining who were waiting for a long time, months, years, perhaps, to enter the program,” Mendigure highlighted.

With 801,000 members since February, Pensión 65 will only have to incorporate another 18,000 in the next lists, which are published every two months. In any case, this year, the thirteenth year of their creation, they will become the first social program to reach its coverage goal.

Payment will be S/250

Last year, due to an increase in the basic family basket, Pensión 65 increased the subsidy it delivers bimonthly to S/300. This Monday the 19th, the previous amount of S/250 will be returned, but Mendigure does not rule out that, once its coverage gap is closed, it could be raised again.

To do this, they will also use new alternative payment mechanisms and channels, as well as cards for collection at the Banco de la Nación.

“This year we have prioritized closing the coverage gap and our next priority for the remainder of the year and the next is to increase the amount of the monetary subsidy. It is on our agenda at Midis level. We have to work within the Government with other ministries and reach an agreement,” the official highlighted.

Pension 65: a goal is met in 2024

Cajamarca (19,000), Lima (18,000), Piura (16,000) and Cusco (14,500) will be the regions with the most new affiliates in this registry.

Pensión 65 also coordinates with health institutions to provide vaccination against Covid-19, among others.

There are initiatives in Congress to serve older adults in non-extreme poverty.