According to the Census 2011, India has nearly 8% population having age 60 years or above. Economic Survey 2019 highlights that while India as a whole will enjoy the ‘demographic dividend’ phase, some states will start transitioning to a to an ageing society by the 2030s, and the share of the elderly in India will continue to rise steadily to nearly double to 16% by 2041.

Challenges faced by the elderly population in India:

• Breakdown of traditional support structures: Increasing nuclearization of families, number of cases of neglect, crime, exploitation, and abandonment of parents and senior citizens are on the rise.
• Psychological problems: These include a feeling of powerlessness, inferiority, depression, uselessness, isolation, etc.
• Inaccessible healthcare facilities: There are gaps in the geriatric medical ecosystem, with limited manpower, ill-developed health infrastructure, lack of insurance, etc. Facilities provided by the government such as old age homes are in dilapidated conditions.
• Lack of social security: A meagre assistance of Rs 200 (up to 79 years) and Rs 500 (above 80 years) is given through Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS).
• Rural-urban disparity: Most of the facilities such as day-care centres, counselling centres etc. are in urban areas and are inaccessible for the elderly population in rural areas. On the other hand, due to the migration of young from rural areas, the relative population of old people is higher in rural areas.
• Feminization of elderly: As per Census data, the sex ratio of the elderly has increased from 938 women in 1971 to 1,033 in 2011 with a predominance of widowed and highly dependent very old women.

Taking into account the demographic explosion among the elderly, the changing economy and social milieu, advancement in medical research, science and technology and high levels of destitution among the elderly rural poor, a National Policy on Senior citizens was adopted in 2011. Other key policy provisions in this context are:

• Income security in old age: To achieve this, financial assistance would be provided through IGNOAPS, food through PDS, concession in tax and loans at reasonable rates. Schemes like Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana (VPBY) and Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY) were started in 2017 for the same.
• Healthcare: Efforts would be made to strengthen the family system so that it continues to play the role of primary caregiver in old age. In that direction, Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 is to be strengthened. Also, special programs will be developed for their mental and physical health. Therefore, National Program for Healthcare of Elderly (NPHCE) and Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (2017) has been started.
• Housing: Ten percent of housing schemes for urban and rural lower income segments will be earmarked for senior citizens. Priority is given to families with senior citizens in PMAY. Shelter/old age homes are given grants under the Integrated Program for Older Persons (IPOP).
• Productive ageing: The policy will promote measures to create avenues for continuity in employment and/or post retirement opportunities.

The government should create an environment that provides senior citizens with equal opportunities, protects their rights and enables their full participation in society so that this potential ‘elderly burden’ converts into a ‘longevity dividend’. This will require investments in health care as well as a plan for increasing the retirement age.