A one-time financial assistance scheme for domestic workers has been found to unfairly discriminate against those aged over 60. The state government launched scheme Sanman Dhan disburses Rs 10,000 to each housemaid who has completed 55 years on August 1, 2013, but bizarrely, doesn’t consider maids aged 60 and over.

The reason, according to the state labour minister, is that the government may have not expected them to still be working. “The government might have thought that domestic workers above 60 years wont be working. However, we have now proposed to the government to make the Sanman Dhan available to also those aged over 65 years,” said State Labour Minister Hassan Mushrif. Till now, the board has disbursed the amount to 500 maids in other regions of the state, and will pay out the amount to maids working in the city through the Electronic Clearing System (ECS).