Observance of International Day of Older Persons

On 14^th December 1990, the United Nations General Assembly designated October 1^st as the International Day of Older Persons. The International Day of Older Persons was observed for the first time on October 1, 1991. According to United Nations, with the life expectancy at birth now exceeding 75 years in half of the world’s countries, 25 years longer than in 1950, by 2030, older persons are projected to outnumber youth globally, with this increase most rapid in developing countries. The observance of this day provides an opportunity to acknowledge the contribution, wisdom, dignity and needs of our senior citizens and to rededicate our efforts to ensure their well-being.

The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment along with Department of School Education& Literacy is proposing a range of activities for the entire month of October, 2024 to help inculcate values of respect and gratitude towards senior citizens among students from an early age. These initiatives will foster respect and care for senior citizen among youngsters. This will lead to inter-generational bonding and empathy. In this regard, the following key initiatives are proposed to be undertaken viz:

Educational Institutions may host annual Grandparents’ Day with activities like storytelling and games to connect generations. They can also hold pledge-taking ceremonies for students, teachers, and staff to pledge respect for senior citizens, with these pledges displayed prominently in the institutions as a reminder.
As part of morning assemblies or language classes, students may be encouraged to recite poems or shlokas that highlight the importance of respecting elders. These can be drawn from lndia’s rich cultural heritage, resonating deeply with students.
Educational Institutions may introduce regular sessions where students and senior citizens from the community interact through various activities, such as sharing stories, discussing history, or learning about traditional crafts. This will help students develop an appreciation for the experiences and knowledge that senior citizens possess.
Encouraging students to engage in community service with senior citizens fosters inter-generational solidarity, mutual respect, and understanding. Educational Institutions may collaborate with local communities to create mentorship programs where seniors guide students in arts, culture, and vocational skills. This initiative benefits both generations by giving students valuable insights and providing seniors with purpose and connection.

For the month-long celebration of the International Day of Older Persons starting from 01.10.2024, the above initiatives have been shared with the States/UTs and Educational Institutions to instil the values of care and concern for the senior citizens among the youth as well as to involve the community in addressing to the issues and challenges faced by the senior citizens.

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An Integrated Mobile Service Delivery Van’for Divyangjan and Senior Citizens

A ‘SamajikAdhikaritaShivir’ for distribution of aids and assistive devices to ‘Divyangjan’ under the ADIP Scheme and Senior citizens under ‘RashtriyaVayoshri Yojana’ (RVY Scheme) of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India will be organized by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) in association with ALIMCO and District Administration Chhatarpur at 12 Noon on 13.02.2022 at Government Higher Secondary School, No.1, Chhatarpur in Madhya Pradesh.

A total of 5286 aids and assistive devices valued at Rs. 2.33 crore will be distributed free of cost to 1391 Divyangjan and 553 Senior Citizens at Block/Panchayat levels by following the SOP prepared by the Department in view of COVID-19 Pandemic.

Hon’ble Union Social Justice and Empower Minster Dr. Virendra Kumar will be the chief guest of the function wherein, Union Minister will also launch ‘An Integrated Mobile Service Delivery Van’ whichhas been developed by the ALIMCO to provide “After-Sale Service” and undertakean awareness campaign on the use of Aids and Assistive devices and offering in-situ repairs/ correction /adjustment and fitting of Prosthetics and orthotics devices at the destination for the Aids and Assistive devices being distributed under the ADIP/RVY Scheme of Govt. of India, in Districts where the distribution of aids and assistive devices has been done in recent past to Divyangjans and Senior Citizens. Shri Pradumn Singh Lodhi, Chairman Madhya Pradesh State Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd.,and MLA, Badamalhera, Madhya Pradesh will preside over the function.

Senior Citizens Welfare Fund

About the Scheme

According to the 2011 population census India has nearly 104 million senior citizens of the total population. And around 71 % of senior citizens live in rural parts and 29 % reside in urban areas of India. These senior citizens are often left out when it comes to basic amenities and requirements and have to depend on others for their living and financial support especially in urban areas, whereas the senior citizens living in rural areas are unable to get aids for their age-related impairments or disabilities due to financial weakness. For overcoming this issue in senior citizens of rural and urban areas and provide the senior citizens with financial and health stability, the government came up with the Senior Citizens Welfare Scheme and Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana. The Senior Citizens Welfare Fund (SCWF) was included under the Finance Act, 2015 for 3 years that is till 2020. This fund is utilized for the welfare of senior citizens. It is expected that around 5,20,000 senior citizens would benefit from this scheme. The scheme also tries that at least 30 % of beneficiaries in all districts should be women as far as possible. An amount of Rs. 410.23 crore was allocated as of December 2019, as initial funding under the scheme, and is handled by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The fund is allocated from the unclaimed money which is lying untouched (after 10 years is transferred) under the Small Savings Schemes, Public Provident Fund, Employees Provident Fund (unclaimed for 7 years), any insurance scheme (be it life or non – life), any such unclaimed policy under the insurance companies, Coal Mines Provident Fund, and Central Government Schemes such as the Savings lying in the Post Office, Post Office Time Deposit Account, Kisan Vikas Patra, Post Office Monthly Income Account, Post Office Recurring Deposit, and Senior Citizens Savings Scheme.

In 2016, the Department of Economic Affairs transferred an amount of Rs 5889.17 crore to the corpus of Senior Citizens Welfare Fund and the interest accrued from this would be utilized for the Welfare Scheme funded from the Senior Citizens Welfare Fund. The Department of Economic Affairs allocated an amount of Rs 16 crore from the Senior Citizens Welfare Fund and provided it to the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment for the implementation of the Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana. An inter–ministerial committee is set up for the administration of the funds. This ministry comprises – Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment as the Nodal Ministry, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, and Department of Financial Services.

Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana is a scheme under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. This scheme was launched in 2017. The funds for this scheme target at providing assistive living devices and other aids to the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category belonging to senior citizens, who suffer from disabilities due to growing age. Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO) is a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment by which the scheme is implemented. This public sector undertaking manufactures assistive living devices. Depending upon the disability of impairment the following assistive devices are provided to the eligible senior citizens under the scheme:

• Spectacles

• Artificial Dentures

• Hearing Aids

• Walking Sticks

• Wheelchair

• Crutches / Walkers

• Elbow Crutches

• Tripods / Quadpods

To avail of benefits under this scheme, the senior citizen must belong to Below Poverty Line (BPL) category. He/she must be suffering from age-related disabilities and those disabilities can be – Loss of teeth, hearing impairment, locomotor disability, or low vision. The assistive devices provided for these impairments try to provide near normalcy bodily functioning.

Impact

A total of 325 districts were selected for the implementation of this scheme. 135 districts completed their assessment camps for identification of the beneficiaries as of 25/01/2019. As per the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment 70939 senior citizens belonging to the BPL category have benefited from 77 distribution camps organized. In the year 2017 – 18,34069 senior citizens benefited from this scheme and in the year 2018 – 19, 36870 senior citizens benefited from this scheme of Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana.

Safety of the Senior Citizens: Are We Failing?

Statistically Speaking…

Individuals of and above 60 years of age are considered to be the senior citizen, as per the law in India. The 2011 population census states that there are approximately 104 million people who are of the age 60 years or more; 53 million are females and 51 million are males. That was about 8.6% of the 2011 population. And, unsurprisingly, this amount is to increase by 2020.

This population chunk also happens to be a vulnerable group in the crime spectrum. That includes the physical and mental harassment that they face at the hands of those whom they consider to be their ‘family’. Also, they are technically more vulnerable when it comes to technological and cyber crimes. Be it by self exploration or by mistake, sometimes these experiences cost them a lot, and not just in monetary terms. Also, terminally ill people tend to have it worse. Some children do not even hesitate to brutally torture their parents. Cutting of social contact or sometimes, even the basic necessities is another common method of harassment.

Now, hypothetically, someone might say why don’t the senior citizens live where they lived all their lives? That might maintain a comfortable sphere for them. Sounds a better option, right? But in reality, it is not so. Because, firstly, senior citizens, especially with a medical history, have a high probability of having a medical emergency. And due to various circumstances, they might not be in contact or ask anyone for help. And the next biggest reason is that they are soft targets for the fraudelants and robbery.

The statistics regarding these crimes was provided in 2018 by the National Crime Records Bureau, a department under the Ministry of Home Affairs, for a study period of 2016-2018. According to these reports,in 2016, the number of registered crimes against senior citizens was 21410, in 2017 it was 22727 and in 2018 it was raised to 24349. This study was done considering an approximate population of 103.85 million. The rate of crime against senior citizens is recorded to be 23.4%. In 2020, the rate has increased toa whooping 25%.These statistics are very alarming and show the ugly reflection of many truths of our society.

On an international level, seven types of elder abuse are recognized: physical abuse, psychological or emotional abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, abandonment, financial abuse and self neglect. A rather large contribution to this increase is pointed towards material/ financial crimes in India . Relatives or children often try to obtain the property deeds from the senior citizens.The increasing value of the real estate sector provides a secure way of financial growth. Hence, younger generations try and invest their parents’ properties for monetary gains or even for loaning purposes. The senior citizens may face harassment and/ or neglect during or after the process of transferring the property. Also, financial cheating is also a rampant criteria under the crime category.

Laws and Legalities

In accordance with ‘The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens (amendment) Bill, 2019’ (which has filled up several loopholes that were present in the 2007 bill), the children might be directed to pay an amount to the parents per month as maintenance amount. The amount is fixed on the basis of standards of living and earning of the senior citizen and the earning of the children. Abandonment of elders will lead to a 3-6 months imprisonment, or auto fine of rs, 10,000 or both. Abuse charges also have the punishment. Under this bill, special provisions and criterias are created to standardize the care homes, home care services, healthcare and police protection.

On the social front, various NGOs are coming up to actively tackle these problems. Toll free helpline numbers and forums give a good source to reach out for help. Public empathy and awareness is also increasing, which provides a very strong base to curb the crimes. For senior citizens living alone, it is advisable to keep up with the latest security products available in the market, and upgrade them from time to time. Also, some self defense equipments should be strategically kept spread throughout the house, which are also easily accessible for someone who knows where they are. Keeping too many valuable items might not be safe. Also,three four persons should be kept on speed dial and as much as it sounds unappealing/uncomfortable, especially for the older generation,it might be a good idea to try and keep the phone within reach. If possible, something should be installed on the front doors so that it is easy to check the person on the other side without fully exposing oneself and also not giving direct entry to the home. Before employing or giving admission to any service provider, identity cards or valid personal documents should be checked.

As a society and as an individual, we have this responsibility to do whatever can be done. That includes looking out for the signs of neglect and abuse, enquiring the elders if any doubts arise and helping them to reach out to the proper authority, if the need arises. This problem can only be tackled through systematic dismantling of the notions that senior citizens are vulnerable.

Dignity (Foundation) Helpline in 6 Cities :

Mumbai Dignity Helpline +91 22 6138 1111
Chennai Dignity Helpline +91 44 2621 0363
Kolkata Dignity Helpline +91 92323 82936 / +91 91635 09818
Bengaluru Dignity Helpline +91 96322 44568 / +91 97405 52261
Pune Dignity Helpline +91 88304 49043
Delhi Dignity Helpline +91 84483 17316

Helpage Toll-Free Elder Helpline Number: 1800-180-1253

Website References:

https://ncrb.gov.in/en/search/node/Senior%20Citizen?page=1

https://vikaspedia.in/social-welfare/senior-citizens-welfare/senior-citizens-status-in-india

https://www.prsindia.org/billtrack/maintenance-and-welfare-parents-and-senior-citizens-amendment-bill-2019

Bombay HC comes to rescue a 70-yr old widow

‌Bombay High Court has recently rescued a 70 year old widow after she was torture by her daughter. The widow was kept under house arrest whose shoulder was fractured and nerves were broken for months. She was kept without any proper medical support and was being tortured physically and mentally. This is so pathetic that if children cannot take care of their parents then at least they must not make their lives a living hell. The judges got to know after talking to the petitioner, that she witnessed serious torture and harassment from her daughter if she went to live at her own flat with the daughter. The bench said that they are not going to pass any order directing the daughter to make some arrangements due to the pandemic and the problems that individuals are facing.

‌ The elderly woman sought eviction under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 after she was brutally abused by her daughter and her son. But she could not get urgent help or relief due to the coronavirus pandemic. She further claimed that her abusive daughter was in a bad company since long in 1998. She even eloped with her boyfriend who had a criminal background. Later on, she was abandoned by him along with her son. After she returned to her parents place at Lokhandwala and started living there forcibly. She then started harassing both of her parents. She left both of her mother and father helpless and threatened to falsely accuse her father.

‌This must be a lesson to all of us. It is our responsibility to take care of elderly parents. The elderly people are our ancestors. Since they have taken care of our childhood so we need need to take care of them as well. Society today is no longer parent-oriented. Earlier people were living with their children because they were too old to work but now this is not the trend. We notice that the elderly people are moving out of their homes to places that cater to their needs. Such stories about mistreatment of the elderly people are horrifying. According to an activist, many citizens in Delhi had been verbally abused, while 33% of them had been physically abused. This is not just an urban phenomenon that witnesses abusing and abandoning of the senior citizens. This happens in rural India too. The family system is eroding, with the younger generation moving towards the cities along with their spouses and their children to start new life while leaving their parents or grandparents away in rural.

‌People are seeking help from the law to get justice. Things have come to such a situation now, that the old people have to petition the government for care. What kind of life is that? How to overcome this issue? Well, this is so so simple. Today’s youngsters are so busy exploring the new technologies, need to spend some time daily to learn moral values of life, should practice ethical living. They should take out some time to talk to their parents and relatives along with their academics.

Senior Citizens in Gated Community: A Case Study from Hyderabad

Ageing is an issue in a society as after attaining 60 years of age different types of problems crop up inter alia of which are health problem, earning problem, dependency syndrome, security of life and property etc. In India according to the website, www.popeindia.org/english/elderly-people, two major socio-demographic changes have contributed to bring about significant changes within the family and are having a major impact on communities. The first one is the increased longevity of people and the second one is a breakdown of joint family and the emergence of nuclear family. Industrialization, westernization and globalization are the major factors responsible for the breakdown of joint family system. Increased individualization and new technologies are also leading for marginalization of the senior citizens and, unfortunately, today they are considered as a social burden. Based on the author’s study, he (the author) has observed that many senior citizens prefer to stay in a gated community because of security, prompt health facilities etc. In this paper, a case of senior citizens staying in a gated community is presented. In Hyderabad city at Bandlaguda Jagir, a gated community is located which is spread over to an area of 17 acres of land having all faculties like basic indoor and outdoor games, gym, park, swimming pool, function hall etc. The gated community can accommodate 192 households; of course around 80 percent have been occupied. This gated community, under the banner of ‘Libdom Villas’ has been constructed under the leadership of Sri G. Vinod Reddy of M/s. Niyas Projects.

In the ‘Libdom Villas’ gated community, 19 senior male citizens in between age of 63 years and 84 years have remained active as every day they have been sharing different types of information, news, proverb, ‘dos and don’ts’ etc. by forming one WhatsApp group. In addition, every evening many of them sit and chit-chat in the park and happily passes the time. The author while interacted with them came to know few of them have come by selling their individual house from other place and settled here by purchasing a villa and few have come on rent also. While interacted with them, the author came to know that they are from different service background and either retired on superannuation from service or left business handing over to next generation. Regarding service background, it has been reported that someone worked in Indian Navy as senior officer; few were in nationalised banks in senior position, and few others were in various capacities in State Government and Central Government organisations. Further, all in unison informed that they felt happy to stay in the gated community as all facilities which require for elderly persons, toddlers, children, ladies and youths are available. Also, 24 hours electricity, water, security of the area, maintenance staffs, video call if outsiders come, are accessible at the door step. In case of individual house security, maintenance etc. are great issues. And to meet another person even for time pass one has to go.

Before winding up, it may be concluded that (www.un.org/en/events/olderpersonsday)

between 2017 and 2030, the number of persons aged 60 years or over is projected to grow by 46 per cent (from 962 million to 1.4 billion) globally outnumbering youth, as well as children under the age of 10. The older people have always played a significant role in the society as leaders, caretakers and custodians of tradition, yet they are also highly vulnerable.

The International Day of Older Persons is an opportunity to highlight the important contributions that older people make to society and raise awareness of the opportunities and challenges of ageing in today’s world.

Dr Shankar Chatterjee

Former Professor & Head (CPME),NIRD & PR ( Govt. of India), Hyderabad, India

Former Associate Professor, Eritrea

Former Assistant Prof, Govt. Degree College, Tripura, India

Former Senior Planning Officer, Govt of Assam, India

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About the Scheme

Impact

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Dignity (Foundation) Helpline in 6 Cities :

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