During his presidential campaign, President Gustavo Petro announced that he would give a subsidy of 500,000 pesos to 3.5 million older adults in the country who have not been able to access a pension.
(Read: Pension reform: more discounts for workers and the richest).
However, the outlook changed and the pension reform that his government will take to Congress on March 22 andestablishes an amount and magnitude much less than promised.
According to the draft of the decree, 2.5 million people over the age of 65, without a pension and who are on the line of extreme poverty, poverty and vulnerability they will receive an amount close to 223,000 pesos each month.
This is three times what they currently receive for the Adulto Mayor program, but only 44.6% of what was promised during the campaign. The lawyer and external adviser to the Ministry of Labor, Kevin Hartmann, explains that this is explained by a matter of targeting and budget.
(In addition: Pension reform: requirements to access a bonus of 223,000 pesos).
“The targeting criteria and the commitment to make collective savings, as explained in the draft, caused that amount to be lowered and focused on a smaller number of people so that they could reach the resourcesHartman explains.
It should be noted that the benefits for this population, which enters the Subsidiary Pillar, will be financed with resources from the General Budget of the Nation and they could be co-financed by resources from the sub-account of subsistence of the Pension Solidarity Fund.
(See: This is what the pension reform of the Petro government offers).
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