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Plea for an aged-friendly Union Budget this year

NEW DELHI: HelpAge India, a voluntary organisation engaged in helping the elderly, has appealed to the United Progressive Alliance Government at the Centre to present an aged-friendly Union Budget for senior citizens this year.

Voicing the anxieties and concerns of senior citizens, HelpAge India has in a letter urged the Government that as a gesture of goodwill it should totally free aged citizens, particularly those above 80, from all tax obligations and allow them to spend the twilight years of their life in peace.

“Senior citizens whose tax liability is nil should be exempted from filing Income Tax returns. The facility of e-filing is alien to most senior citizens of today,” said the letter whose copies have been sent to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

The letter draws the Government’s attention to the fact that the retirement age in most organisations, in both public and private sectors, ranges from 55 to 60 years.

“The Reserve Bank of India and the Railways consider persons aged 60 and above as senior citizens. The Senior Citizens’ Savings Scheme, 2004, also includes under the term ‘depositor’ a person aged 55 years (if he/she has taken voluntary retirement). We have asked the Government to bring about uniformity in this concept and amend the Income Tax definition of senior citizen as a person aged 60 years and above,” said HelpAge India Chief Executive Mathew Cherian.

In view of falling interest rates and taxation of income from various saving schemes and non-availability of comprehensive health cover for senior citizens, HelpAge India also wants the Government to introduce health insurance schemes for senior citizens that would provide security cover not only for hospitalisation and domiciliary care but also for medicines, consultation and pathological tests for general ailments that cost a lot.

“The insurance companies need to be encouraged to introduce more elder-friendly schemes that are responsive to their specific needs. The Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna needs be extended to all States and Union Territories and made easily available to the senior citizens. Currently the spread is sporadic,” said Mr. Cherian.

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