Karnataka - Gulbarga   

‘Respect rights of senior citizens’

GULBARGA: Member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Shivaraj Patil has said that the NHRC will provide funds to the P.S. Shankar Pratishtan for organising another healthcare educational programme to exclusively address problems senior citizens face in rural areas.

Speaking after inaugurating a five-day healthcare educational programme for senior citizens organised jointly by the NHRC and the P.S. Shankar Pratishtan here on Friday, Mr. Patil, a former Supreme Court judge, said the NHRC was in favour of helping organisations working for the welfare of women to conduct awareness workshops on women’s rights. Mr. Patil said overall development would be impossible without redressing issues such as discrimination against, and denial of rights to, women. They should be given equal opportunities for personal growth, he said.

The NHRC wanted the rights of senior citizens to be respected so that they could lead better lives.

Mr. Patil said that by 2025 there would be around 200 million senior citizens in the country with 90 per cent of them without stable incomes.

He said the youth needed to be taught the importance of caring for the elderly, and expressed regret that the country, which was traditionally known for its extensive familial support systems, was forced to introduce legislation to ensure the welfare of senior citizens. Apart from a law to protect their rights, the Government had also finalised a policy governing their care. The primary duty of society was to ensure that they had access to food, healthcare, security and shelter. Gulbarga University Vice-Chancellor B.G. Mulimani said senior citizens should take life head-on and be productive even after retirement. Hyderabad Karnataka Education Society president Basavaraj Bhimalli released a book written by P.S. Shankar titled “Jeevanada Sanje”. Ambika Shankar welcomed the gathering.

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