Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Better late than never

Parliament has woken up quite late in the day to pass the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Bill. It comes as a relief to not only parents neglected by their children but also to those ill-treated. Ideally, the need to pass the bill should not have arisen. That it became necessary to protect the old from those who throw them out of their homes and acquire their property is indeed unfortunate. Hopefully, the young will realise that whatever they are today is because of their parents, because of the pains they have taken to provide their children with the best of everything.

Aniket Singh,

Mohali

The bill proposes three months’ imprisonment for those who abandon their parents in their last years. While this may look like a good move to protect the elders, it will not be effective as no parent will favour such a harsh treatment of his or her wards. The problem cannot be solved by imposing punishment. It needs to be approached keeping the ground reality — financial security — in mind.

A separate fund can be constituted and administered by the government (the Provident Fund organisation perhaps). Employees can be made to contribute a sum of about five per cent of their monthly earnings and the accumulation in this fund can be kept at the disposal of parents and other dependents.

K.R. Mahalingam,

Chennai

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