Centre drafts policy for exploding `grey’ population

NEW DELHI, JUNE 13: Gas and telephone connections on a priority basis for senior citizens, speedy disposal of court cases, railway fare co...

NEW DELHI, JUNE 13: Gas and telephone connections on a priority basis for senior citizens, speedy disposal of court cases, railway fare concessions, discounts on state road transport with user-friendly buses, housing loans up to the age of 70, a pension scheme and more day care centres.

These are some of the highlights of the draft National Policy on Older Persons now being debated in Government to tackle the exploding "grey" population in the country.

Already forming 7 per cent of the population, the number of persons aged 60 years and above is growing exponentially and is expected to touch the 230 million mark by 2030, assuring the quality of life of India’s greying population has finally caught the attention of the government. "This policy has been delayed by 52 years," says Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Maneka Gandhi.

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The discussions today on the draft policy by members of the National Council for Older Persons and bureaucrats of the Social Justice Ministry, which acts as the nodal Ministry for implementing the policy, brought to light a number of concerns of the elderly.

Questions like who should pick up the tab for a pension scheme for senior citizens: should it be Government or should it be contributions made by the individual during his or her working years, which are wisely invested to provide an economic cushion in the twilight of their lives.

Or the setting up of old-age homes and day care centres, where the elderly could spend the day and return to their families at night. Stressing the need to integrate the elderly into their own social and cultural milieu, Gandhi suggested that such homes should be located in villages or towns, so that the elderly are not uprooted from their known surroundings.

Courts in the country have been asked to expedite court cases where the elderly are involved, especially property disputes. Already, High Courts in eight states have indicated their acquiescence.

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The Government is in the process of finalising the Old Age Social and Income Security scheme (OASIS) which would provide a safety net for the elderly after their retirement from active service. The scheme is currently with the Union Finance Ministry which was examining the financial implications of the programme which would cater to the entire aged population.

But the costs involved would be phenomenal if Government were to take upon itself the jobs of providing an old-age pension, says P V Ramamurty, Director, Centre for Research on Aging at Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh.

As couples opt for smaller families, with many urban couples going in for a one-child or even a no-child norm, the proportion of the elderly is expected to invert the existing population pyramid, with the elderly forming the largest group.

Ramamurty suggests that every adult put 10 per cent of his earnings into a public provident fund, which cannot be withdrawn till the person reaches the age of sixty, after which it is repaid as a life-long pension. But since people will not volunteer the money, it should be deducted at source, he says.