Prof V S Verma
The change of lifestyle from the traditional to a liberal, formation of nuclear families, various age related problems like declining health and income as well as emotional security are confronted by the aged people. These problems were hitherto well taken care of in our traditional joint family system. But, with the erosion of joint family custom all these problems are being confronted by different categories of aged people necessitating the need for the old age homes in our society. Vridh Ashram, the Home for the poor, helpless, destitute, aged and infirm people of the society, irrespective of their caste, creed, religion, sex or region or status was established at Ambphala, Jammu in 1964 by the noble founder Late Ram Nath Prabhakar with the motto of “Nar Seva is Narayan Seva” (Service to human is true worship of God).This ‘Home’ for aged & infirm was registered under J&K Registration of Societies Act VI in 1965 Vide No. 66 of 1965 dated 20th February, 1965. However this Home was literally adopted by Social Welfare Department of Jammu & Kashmir in 1986 obviously for the purposes of housing the elderly people who languish for home & hearth for multiple perceptibly discernible reasons. From one room at the time of its inception, the Home has now grown to two full fledged two-block buildings with the capacity to comfortably accommodating ninety people of varied sex. The Home has emerged as a premier Centre in Jammu & Kashmir State for providing humane service to such members of the society aiming to afford a respectable shelter with not only excellent boarding and lodging facilities but also free reading material, good recreational and entertainment facilities to alleviate the hardships besides medical to the best of its means.
The Social Welfare Department of J&K Government, immediately after adoption of the home in 1986, made provisions for (i) monthly salary of Rs. 500 to Manager, Rs. 300 to Clerk, Rs. 250 to Cook, Rs. 200 to Peon and Rs. 250 to Chowkidar (ii) sanctioned Rs. 5 (five rupees only) for diet, medicines and incidental daily expenses to the senior citizens housed therein and (iii) Rs. 275 for clothing of inmates once in three years. The perks may have been sufficient more than quarter of a century from now, but seem to be not only too meagre, unreasonable, but quite ridiculous as on date. A number of VIPs visiting the Home at different occasions were apprised of the odds faced but the administrators running the house on the basis of social service or voluntary service. They, no doubt, had words of praise and appreciated the management of the Home and wondered how the senior citizen were made to lead dignified life in spite of indifferent attitude of the Social Welfare Department & others, they made little effort or raised voice for improvement of the living standard of this class of people. To say the least, no one has so far raised the voice for ameliorating their condition monetarily. The help being provided to the Ambphala Home by the government since 1986 is not only insufficient, but too meagre to meet the needs of the inmates. Prices index has gone rocketing high for the past twenty years but the J&K governments, those be, have never bothered to increase even a single penny ever since. These days even a cup of tea is costlier than Rs.5 but asking the management to provide food, from breakfast to dinner with only rupees five a day is but shame that cannot be forborne members of modern society. With the fast development and rising price index in the country, the Central and State governments have increased the salaries of their employees manifold since 1986, but the senseless paltry allocation of monetary assistance to the senior citizens of Ambphalla Home continue to maintains its status quo. If I am permitted to say on the lighter side, even a beggar would return the alms of Rs.5/-.The home is being managed by its administrators due to generosity of people of Jammu but for whose help the entire Home will be shambles. It is said ‘a generation which has lost respect for its elders, cannot be respected by its young ones’. The attention of the Social Welfare Department of the State Government is invited to restructuring the financial help to the Home as per the prevailing price index including food & clothing, medical facilities, health care, hygienic makeshift, recreational avenues, buildings condition, adequate staff with genuine wages, services of permanent doctor with a round the clock dispensary headed by the super specialty doctor, adequate provisions for laundry, barber etc. The earliest done the best. May I most humbly pray to the J&K High Court extend its compassionate hand in the interests vindicating the fundamental rights of the citizens, particularly right to live with dignity & a healthy life, to treat this write-up a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) for the welfare of the weaker section of the Society in order the justice is meted out to them with a view to help them lead a respectable life comfortably.
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