A pension is a retirement income. It helps provide financial independence when you lose your main source of income after retirement. This is what the Central Monastic Body is planning to provide for its monks and nuns in their old age. Unlike civil servants, currently, they don’t have a pension scheme.
Choosing the celibate life, some monks and nuns have to spend their last days without anyone taking care of them. Without any income after they leave their monastic lives, they find life difficult. However, the retirement benefit plan which is being discussed with relevant stakeholders is expected to provide some comfort.
Rinzin, a former Umze at the Zhung Dratshang, says the proposed pension plan will help them especially when they “don’t have anyone we can rely on or if our body fails us in our old age.” He says it will be of great help even if they want to spend the rest of their days praying.
“Since there is a talk going on to provide provident fund for the monks, I also took the opportunity to get the same for the nuns. Like monks, some nuns are already worried about how they can sustain their livelihood after leaving the nunneries; they don’t have anyone back home. The pension plan would really help address these issues,” said Tashi Zangmo (PhD), the Executive Director of the Bhutan Nuns Foundation.
A consultative meeting was held in Paro recently to discuss this. Representatives from five western districts discussed how best to provide this benefit.
According to the Central Monastic Body, the pension will be first piloted for its monks and nuns, and if it proves successful the Body plans to implement it for the private monastic schools too. The Central Monastic Body also hopes that this pension plan will attract more people to become monks and nuns in the long run.
“The pension will come handy when they want to go on pilgrimage. Moreover, it will support their daily expenses after they retire to pray. That is why we are studying to implement this plan,” said Thukten Jamtsho the Media Spokesperson for the Central Monastic Body.
The Central Monastic Body plans to conduct a similar consultative meeting in the central and eastern districts soon. Today, there are more than 11,000 monks and nuns across the country registered with the Zhung Dratshang.
Karma Wangdi
Edited by Sonam
