NEW DELHI, Oct 1: President Pranab Mukherjee today asked policy makers to devise plans to deal with “competing demands” of the country’s young workforce as well as its large ageing population in the next 15 years.
Expressing concerns over the vulnerability of elderly in our society as the joint family system has given way to nuclear households, Mukherjee said it is ironical that economic growth, urbanisation and migration of youth has deprived the elderly of love and care.
“In the next 15 years, India is going to face a peculiar problem. More than half of its total population is likely to be less than 40 years of age… Exactly at the same time we will have one of the largest ageing population. The number of elders will increase from 7.66 cr in 2001 to 17.32 cr in 2026,” he said.
Mukherjee said policy makers, thinkers, planners will have to address these issues and meet the two competing demands.
He was speaking at the presentation of National Award for Senior Citizens, Vayoshreshtha Samman here.
It is their generation which has built the modern and vibrant India which we are enjoy today, Mukherjee said.
The true test of a developed and civilised society is the manner in which it values and protects its vulnerable sections and we must do all we can to ensure that the elderly enjoy a healthy, happy and dignified productive life, Mukherjee said.
“The government must mainstream the issues concerning the aged and ageing in India. Their needs and requirements should not be overlooked,” he said.
Mukherjee also called upon the medical sector to take initiatives that further facilitate the elderly and make their visit to doctors and hospitals “a pleasant experience from a nightmare”.
The enactment of The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, which has made mistreatment of parents a penal offense, was a very positive step in this direction, Mukherjee said.
The President said the elderly are facing various problems associated with modernity and growth and also the attitudinal change in social values.
He said the government seeks to formulate and implement sound policies for the financial and food security and health security.
Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Kumari Selja said the foundation of the government’s policy, known as the “National Policy for Senior Citizens, 2011” is based on factors like demographic explosion among the elderly, changing economy and social milieu, advancement in medical research and high levels of destitution among the elderly rural poor.
The next few decades are going to test our ability to address the needs of ageing population, she said.
“We need to ensure care and protection of the elderly so that they live a healthy, dignified and productive life. Second, the older people must be looked at as partners in progress rather than a burden on society,” Selja said.
A higher proportion of elderly women than men experience loneliness and are dependent on children, the minister said.
Apart from the improvement of health care system, the effective way of dealing with the elderly is to improve their economic condition, Selja said.
The elderly in rural areas need to get attention, much more than what they have been getting so far, she said, adding that the aged individuals should be encouraged to form self-help groups. (PTI)
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel