Government has launched a scheme to offer facilities to senior citizens alone at home
State government has decided to come up with a program scheme and according to this, NGO’s will be given the responsibility to take care of senior citizens. As per the law, the senior citizens will be offered better care facilities that are living alone in their homes. With almost 10.38 crores of senior citizens as per the 2011 census report, Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Rajya Sabha leader, Thawar Chand Gehlot suggested during question hour at the parliament.
A 2007 law has come up that will provide support to senior citizens. However, the state government is trying to launch a new law that shall ensure better protection and security for senior citizens. Also, by the law, it shall help to take better care of the aged people.
In this regard, the Rajya Sabha leader is the opinion that they are planning to set up a day care center for lonely aged people. In the centers, the citizens can spend some time till the evening.
Some of the facilities introduced in the care centers are the library, canteen, and the like for the convenience of the old people. The NGOs will be given the responsibility to take care of the old people and provide them suitable benefits.
Moreover, under the Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana, the senior citizens will be offered a good quality device. Some of them are walking stick, wheelchair, and the like that will go for more than a year. The devices are manufactured maintaining suitable quality as per the Bureau of Indian and international standards. However, the state government has promised to offer devices worth up to rupees 7000 to every person as declared under the scheme.
Even government has taken technological assistance from Germany to make unique artificial hands and legs for the modern wheel chair and help the old people. In addition to this, a state-run company that produces quality devices for senior citizens.
In this regard, the state minister added that they are trying to work in coordination with global agencies that can help prepare quality devices and provide the same in the centers for the senior citizens.
Based on a poor coverage under the above-said scheme, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister, Rattan Lal Kataria is of the opinion that near about 3, 22,476 devices have been given for the benefit of the aged person.
However, as of now, 1, 24,142 citizens have been covered under the scheme. But it can be expected to cover up more number of senior citizens in the coming years. After the initial launch of the scheme in March 2017, the state government is planning to extend its help to more than 5.20 beneficiaries in three years and help them get better living conditions.