India has a serious problem of growing elderly population.
India lacks in policy measures to address the problems of elderly.
What is the status of elderly population in India?
According to the 2011 Census, there are 104 million elderly persons (aged 60 years or above) in India.
The proportion of elderly was 8.6% in 2011 and is rising.
Also, the average Indian can expect to live at least 18 years beyond the age of 60, which means the dependency ratio is also rising.
What are the problems faced by the elderly population?
The joint family system, which sustained the elderly, is virtually a thing of the past.
This leaves a rising number of the elderly even those who were at least middle class in their working years in awful straits.
There is no institutional support for the elderly, the cost of both living and Medicare is rising, eroding their savings, and the old-age pension.
Due to steadily falling interest rates on bank deposits steadily most middle class elderly actually depend on elderly pension to sustain themselves.
What are the issues with existing government mechanisms?
Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme has been paying Rs. 200 a month as old-age pension.
A sum which has remained unchanged since 2006, when it was introduced.
Due to inflation the value of this has depreciated to under Rs. 100 over the past 11 years, less than a day’s notified minimum wage.
Union government passed a law in 2007 (the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act) to make maintenance of parents/senior citizens by children/relatives obligatory and justiciable through tribunals.
The Act also provides for revocation of transfer of property by senior citizens in case of negligence by relatives, penal provision for abandonment, etc.
But this Act has miserably failed to serve its purpose.
The Ministry of Social Justice, the nodal ministry for the elderly, also has a grand plan called the Integrated Programme for Older Persons, which has been operational since 1992.
But this is underfunded and languidly administered, the programme managed to reach just 23,095 beneficiaries in 2015-2016.
What measures can be taken?
A minimum universal monthly pension of Rs. 2,000 for the elderly is quite doable for a $2 trillion economy like India.
Housing for the aged, particularly the aged poor, must be a priority and be made a subset of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
Assisted living facilities for indigent elderly, particularly those with age-related issues like dementia, needs policy focus.
Finance ministry can give more tax breaks, or at least removing tax on deposit interest for seniors.
