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New Delhi, Nov 18 (IANS) Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Virendra Kumar on Tuesday stressed the need to educate elders about the laws under which children are legally bound to provide maintenance to their parents.
Addressing a special session on the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 at the Ambedkar International Centre, Minister Virendra Kumar said, “The ministry is working on the three pillars of empowerment, sensitization and participation.”
He said, “Many schemes are being run by the government for the welfare of senior citizens. More than 7 lakh senior citizens have benefited from aids and assistive devices under the Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana.”
Emotional support is being provided through Elderline, the toll-free number 14567. He said the government is providing health insurance coverage of Rs 5 lakh to every senior citizen above 70 years of age.
Organized in collaboration with the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), the session aims to spread awareness about the legal rights of senior citizens, policies/programmes that facilitate these rights and the role of the community in implementing these rights at the individual level and at the community level.
The MWPSC Act, 2007, provides a legal framework to ensure the welfare and safety of senior citizens. The Act states that children and specified relatives are legally bound to provide maintenance to senior citizens, including parents, to meet their basic needs, with the provision of a monthly maintenance allowance.
Justice Surya Kant, Judge of the Supreme Court of India and Executive President of NALSA, said that with the changing times, there has been a steady decline in the attention, respect and centrality towards the issues of the elderly in the present hyper-connected world with technological advancements.
He proposed that our solutions should be based on existing structures. The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act 2007 is a landmark law in this direction, making the protection of our senior citizens not a charity but a binding social obligation.
Social Justice and Empowerment Secretary Amit Yadav said that the population of senior citizens in the country is estimated to increase from 10.38 crore in 2011 to 34 crore in 2050.
“This demographic change puts the onus on the government to ensure that senior citizens live with dignity, safety and meaningful participation,” he said.
He also mentioned the challenges faced by the elderly due to digital and financial changes and how the younger generation and the community should come forward to help them.
–IANS
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