Sr citizens’ associations to protest on Aug 16 against government ignorance

Associations of senior citizens from across the country have decided to observe a national protest day at Azad Maidan on August 16.

The All India Senior Citizens’ Confederation (AISCCON) and the Federation of Senior Citizens of Maharashtra (FESCOM) had been trying for three years to draw the government’s attention to the non-implementation of provisions in the National Policy on Older Persons (NPOP), 1999. With no response forthcoming, the bodies have decided to protest with the support of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (Tiss).

Elderly people would come together to tell the government that they could affect voting patterns in elections. “Eighty per cent of senior citizens vote,” said Nasreen Rustomfram, a professor at the Tiss and chairperson of its centre for lifelong learning. “Given that the elderly form a large part of the electorate, political will must be created to address their concerns.”

DN Chapke, secretary general of the AISCCON, said, “There are so many senior citizens who do not get one square meal a day. They don’t have any savings. With rising inflation, the major issue is health. Our demand is that universal health care be provided free of cost by the government.” Other demands include that one representative of senior citizens should be present on the committee that disburses pensions. Also, the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (2007) amount should be increased from Rs400 to Rs500.

“This will give some dignity to senior citizens, as they will not be required to leave their homes due to lack of money,” said S Siva Raju, professor and chairperson of the school for social sciences at the Tiss.

“We should promote the concept of ageing at home, where they can have facilities and continue to lead a meaningful life. They are often not mentally and culturally prepared to move away from home.” Senior citizens have also demanded that day care centres be set up in each locality in the city. Chapke said, “This will reduce the need of old age homes. The centres should be within a radius of one km from their homes.”