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Fair deal for the aged sought

BHUBANESWAR: The whole world is looking at ’young’ India and its strength getting translated to see the country as a superpower. But the underlying concern is that the ’youngs’ will become elder one-day.

Several social activists, law students and elderly citizens here on Monday voiced apprehensions and demanded to put well-planned structure in place to take care of elderly people in the days to come.

At a seminar on ‘Rights of the Aged - The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Bill, 2007” organised by city-based NGO PECUC, speakers said ageing was not a separate issue from social integration, gender advancement, economic stability or issues of poverty.

The societal changes had often a negative effect on economic and social status of older persons and people should come forward to meet the challenge, they said.

A total of 22,80,956 older people above the age of 60 has been recorded in the state. Of which 11,53,092, which is 50.56 per cent, lives in rural areas whereas 11,27,866 (49.44 per cent) are the inhabitant of urban area.

"The problem is much more critical that is exhibited in numbers.

The situation is slowly turning worse. We must think of rehabilitating elderly generation in families rather than doling out economic benefits," Anuradha Mohanty of PECUC said.

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