CHENNAI: Associations representing senior citizens have urged the State Government to formulate a policy to address the complex issues of the elderly.

What is worrying the greying population is the lack of substantive efforts from the administration in framing guidelines on a theme enunciated in the National Policy on Older Persons (NPOP) in 1999.

It is estimated that the number of people above 60 in the country is 8 crore, of which 75 per cent are rural residents. Pensioners form barely 2 per cent of senior citizens.

Though Chennai has quite a few associations providing support services to senior citizens, lack of cohesion prevents these outfits from acting as an effective pressure group.

"We are working towards establishing a confederation to negotiate our demands with the Government, both in the State and at the Centre," said D. Rajasekaran, income tax consultant and secretary, Tamil Nadu Senior Citizens Association.

At the same time, he said, it was important for the Government to engage the major associations in consultations such as the meeting of the National Council for Older Persons, held in New Delhi on July 26. The meeting focused only on healthcare needs instead of a multi-layered approach to geriatric welfare.

The problems of senior citizens involve a complex web of social, economic and healthcare needs. "The establishment of a separate State Department will provide budgetary allocation for the welfare of senior citizens," said S. M. Chellaswamy, general secretary, Tamilnadu Senior Citizen and Pensioners Welfare Association.

The Association has been demanding the creation of a Directorate for Senior Citizens and a Council chaired by the Chief Minister. Other demands include raising rail fare concession to 50 per cent, waiver of telephone rentals and increase in interest on term deposits.

Old age homes, easier access to health insurance, separate counters in post offices, railway reservation offices and banks and seats in public transport buses are some of their other demands.

V. Balambal, president, Probus Club of Chennai, said the problem of abuse of the elderly was widely prevalent. A lot needs to be done to instil confidence in abuse victims of getting timely assistance without further vitiation of family ties, she said.

The national policy calls for a special provision in the Indian Penal Code to protect older persons from domestic violence/abuse and to establish a machinery to tackle such cases promptly. It also recommended review of tenancy legislation to restore the rights of occupancy of the older persons.

Associations are agreed that most of the problems of senior citizens could be addressed if the national policy provisos were implemented in the State. "As a document, the national policy is a laudable effort. The problem is that it remains only on paper," said Mr. Rajasekaran.

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