A demographic
revolution is taking place throughout the world indicating a phenomenal rise in
the population of the elderly. According to a UN
estimate, the population of the people aged 60 years and above is expected to
grow to 1.2 billion by 2025 and to 2 billion by 2050. Today, about two thirds
of all the older people are living in the developing world. As per the Census
2001, in India, there were 77 million persons
above 60 years constituting 7.5% of the total population of the country. This
number is projected to go up to 12.4% of the population in 2026. Such an increase
obviously will throw up numerous challenges in designing old age specific
programmes and schemes and addressing their issues in a comprehensive manner.
The
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment announced a National
Policy for Older Persons in January,
1999. This policy reaffirmed the commitment of the Government to ensure
the well-being of the older persons in a holistic manner. The National Policy
for Older Persons essentially envisages support from the State to the older
persons to ensure their financial and food security, health care, the need for
shelter as well as other needs of the older persons, providing them an equitable
share in development, giving them protection against abuse and exploitation,
and ensuring the availability of services
to improve the quality of lives of the older persons.
Thirteen years
have elapsed since this policy was announced. Keeping in view the changing
demographic pattern, the socio-economic conditions and the technological development
in the country, the Government is in the process of bringing out a new National
Policy. The draft of the new policy is ready. The new Policy is expected to cover
a wider spectrum of the issues and challenges facing the elderly.
An institutional
mechanism has been put in place to monitor the implementation of the existing national
Policy for older persons and to
advise the Government regarding the formulation and implementation of the policy
and programmes for the aged through a National Council for Older
Persons, under the Chairmanship of the Minister of Social Justice &
Empowerment. The Council was
first constituted in the year 1999 for a period of five years. It was
reconstituted for another period of five years in the year 2005. However, the
composition of this Council was not comprehensive enough as it did not contain sufficient
non-official
members to maintain regional balance. Besides, it also did not include the
representatives of some of the Ministries/Departments dealing with issues
related to the senior citizens. With a
view to address these issues, the Council has been re-constituted and has now
been renamed as the National Council of Senior Citizens. A Resolution to this
effect has been issued in the Gazette of India (Extraordinary) on 22nd
February 2011.
The Parliament
enacted the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act in
December 2007, a landmark development. This Act has made the maintenance of parents and senior citizens by children, and where there
are no children, then by the relatives, obligatory and justiciable through
Tribunals. The Act has to be brought into force by the individual
State Governments. It is not applicable to the State of Jammu & Kashmir,
while Himachal Pradesh has its own Act, with the concerted efforts made by the
Ministry, all the States and UTs have been persuaded to bring the Act into
force in the respective States.
For the effective
implementation of the various provision of the Act, the States and UTs are
required to take further steps, such as framing Rules, appointing Maintenance
Officers, and constituting the Maintenance and Appellate Tribunals. As per
information available in the Ministry, 14 States and 5 UTs have taken all these
necessary steps.
The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment is also implementing the
“Integrated Programme of Older Persons" since 1992 with a view to improve
the quality of life of older persons by providing basic amenities like shelter,
food, medical care, entertainment opportunities, etc. Under this Scheme,
financial assistance up to 90% is provided to Governments/Non-Governmental
Organizations/ Panchayati Raj Institutions/ local bodies etc. for running and maintaining old age homes, day care centres, mobile medicare units, day care centres for Alzheimer's disease/Dementia patients,
physiotherapy clinics for older persons, sensitization programmes for
children, particularly in schools and colleges, Regional Resource and Training
Centres, etc. About 350 NGOs are
being supported every year for running and maintaining around 550 projects.
In order to address the increasing demand for care
givers, the National
Institute of Social Defense (NISD), an autonomous body under the Ministry of
Social Justice and Empowerment, has been conducting One-Year, Six-Month and One-Month
Courses on Geriatric Care. Besides, the Institute also collaborates with
reputed institutions for organising short term training programmes for the
caregivers.
To ensure effective implementation of the policies and programmes of the
Ministry and also to augment the activities of the NISD, the Ministry presently
supports 3 Regional Resource Centres (RRTCs) namely, (i) Anugraha, New Delhi,
which caters to the requirements of the northern States, (ii) Nightingale
Medical Trust, Bangalore, which caters to the requirements of the southern
States, and (iii) Integrated Rural Development and Educational Organization
(IRDEO) which caters to the requirement of the north eastern States. These
RRTCs undertake (i) Training of functionaries of grantee organizations under
IPOP and monitor their work; (ii) Advocacy and awareness generation; (iii)
Liasion with the concerned State Governments in the field of old age care, with
specific reference to the implementation of the Maintenance and Welfare of
Parents & Senior Citizens Act, 2007, and the National Policy for Older
Persons, 1999 and the other programmes and interventions for the senior
citizens; (iv) Maintain a data-base of the institutions working in the field of
old age care; and (v) Research and such other functions as the Ministry
may assign from time to time.
The need of the
hour is to create a caring society, especially for the ageing population with
the help of representatives from the Central Ministries and Departments, the
State Governments, experts, academicians and many other stakeholders.
(PIB Features.)
