State gets senior citizen policy

The Maharashtra Cabinet on Monday approved a long-pending senior citizen policy aimed at providing social and economic security, and to ensure the health, welfare of senior citizens. The state has an approximately 70-lakh-strong elderly population that will be able to live with respect and dignity, said chief minister Prithviraj Chavan after the Cabinet meeting. Under the policy, senior citizens are defined as any citizen over 65 years of age. “The policy implementation will start within six months in a phased manner and it will be fully implemented in five years across the state. The action plan for the first six months will be prepared, which will include guidelines that can be immediately implemented. The remaining guidelines will be enforced in the next two, three or five years period,” he said. Previously, there were three categories — 65 to 70 was termed as working old age, 70 to 80 was the senior citizens category and above 80 were considered very senior citizens. The social justice department has drafted the policy. The need for such a policy was deemed necessary in light of the increasing cases of attacks on and murders of senior citizens living alone in Mumbai. The policy will also ensure that senior citizens who get thrown out of their homes by their own children have recourse and claim their rights rather than languishing in old age homes. To curb such incidents, the policy has suggested naming those children who throw out their parents. Elaborating on this, Mr Chavan said, “The list of such children or relatives, whose parents have to live forcibly at old age homes will be published in local newspapers.” He called it a “defaulters’ list”. The CM said that to make senior citizens aware about the policy and to highlight their issues, every year three days would be observed in the state. June 15 would be World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, September 21 would be World Alzheimer’s day and October 1 would be International Day of Older Persons. “The state government would constitute a state council for old age persons to implement the policy. The ministers of concerned departments will be the members of the committee. Apart from that, the state executive council for senior citizens headed by the chief secretary will also be constituted. The ommissionerate and special cell of deputy secretary for senior citizens would be formed to ensure co-ordination between various concerned government departments,” the CM said. “An Emergency Alert System with the help of mobile alarm, internet GPS will be developed which will assist senior citizens in a critical situation. Even a free helpline will be started at each district police headquarter and at the police commissioner’s office,” he added. To ensure financial independence of senior citizens, it has been assured in the policy that they will get part time jobs, if necessary, and for that they will be provided training like making envelopes, candles, papads etc. The state government will also ensure getting micro finance for them and small saving groups will also be formed. Mr Chavan added, “The state government will appeal to the corporate sector to reserve 10 per cent of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) fund for the welfare of senior citizens.” The state will also form a “welfare fund”. The CM added that the government would also appeal to doctors to give some exemption in fees. This policy was declared on June 14, 2004, but it’s second part, which deals with the budgetary provision for the policy, was not declared. Mr Chavan said that the estimated budgetary provision required for the policy, which has been pending for the past nine years, would be submitted by all concerned departments to the high-powered committee headed by him in the next one month. The policy concerns with multiple departments, each of which has to sanction funds for the welfare of senior citizens from their respective outlay in the state budget. However, all of them were not inclined to make such provisions, which delayed the policy, informed an official. “Initially, it was decided to announce the policy on world senior citizen day on October 1 last year. But, that could not happen because of the resistance from various departments,” the official said.