The Chamber of Deputies of Mexico approved a reform that reduces the age for accessing pensions for older adults and elevates to constitutional rank social programs created during the Administration of Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
The proposal, supported unanimously by 483 deputies, involves not only reducing the age for pensions for older adults from 68 to 65 years, but also the inclusion in the Constitution of programs such as pensions for people with permanent disabilities, the Sembrando Vida program, and support for producers, fishermen, and farmers.
The reform establishes that the State will allocate sufficient resources annually to guarantee the rights that involve the transfer of direct resources to the population. In addition, a decrease in real terms of the amounts of these programs is prohibited, and the Government is made responsible for ensuring a safe, fair, and permanent wage for farmers, as well as support for small producers and fishermen.
Included among the added benefits are direct annual support and free fertilizers for small-scale producers, guaranteed prices for food such as corn, beans, milk, rice, and wheat, and the right of all Mexicans to enjoy adequate housing.
A deadline of 180 days was also established for Congress to harmonize secondary legislation following the publication of the decree. The reform seeks to expand the scope of social programs and improve the living conditions of beneficiaries.
