Nepal, April 14 -- Political parties, in a bid for cheap popularity, have increased social security allowances, creating an unsustainable burden for the state. With such allowances increasing nearly elevenfold over the past decade, a proposal has been made to raise the eligible age for receiving such benefits from 68 to 70 years.

The High-Level Economic Reform Recommendation Commission, formed to provide suggestions for reforming the economic sector, has advised the government to provide social security allowances to senior citizens only from the age of 70. This recommendation was included in the report submitted to Finance Minister Bishnu Poudel on Friday by the commission, led by former Finance Secretary Rameshwor Khanal.

Currently, t...