Parliament Question: Dedicated Climate Resilient Ageing Policy

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3476 TO BE ANSWERED ON 10.08.2026 Dedicated Climate Resilient Ageing Policy 3476. DR. M P ABDUSSAMAD SAMADANI: Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has taken cognizance of the recently released HelpAge India report titled Climate Resilient Ageing- Ensuring Care, Dignity and Agency, which highlights that 78 per cent of rural older persons face severe climate hazards like heatwaves, floods, and droughts; (b) the details of specific emergency mitigation strategies, cooling shelters, or relief protocols established to protect the elderly, given that nearly 60 per cent of rural older individuals reside in homes unsafe during extreme heat conditions; (c) the details of measures being taken to address the medical vulnerabilities highlighted in the said report, where 52 percent of elderly respondents were found unable to afford essential medicines during climate-induced illnesses; and (d) whether the Government plans to roll out a dedicated Climate-Resilient Ageing Policy or integrate elderly care metrics directly into the National Action Plan on Climate Change? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH) (a) to (d): As per information provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) is aware of the health issues for elderly in context of climate change. To provide dedicated health care facilities to the senior citizens (greater than 60 years of age) at various levels of primary, secondary and tertiary health care and to address various health related problems of elderly people, the MoHFW had launched the “National Programme for the Health Care of Elderly” (NPHCE) with the objective to provide accessible, affordable, and high-quality long-term, comprehensive and dedicated care services to Ageing population. NPHCE has a National Health Mission (NHM) Component consisting of Primary & Secondary care service delivery through District Hospitals (DH), Community Health Centres (CHC), Primary Health Centres (PHC), Sub-Centre/Health & Wellness Centres. It has also a Tertiary Component providing services through Regional Geriatric Centres (RGCs), and two National Centres of Ageing (NCAs). Further, a Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) project, a nationally representative survey of older persons in India, was undertaken through International Institute of Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai.The Government implements the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), which provides the overarching framework for climate actions and comprises nine National Missions including the National Mission on Climate Change and Human Health (NMCCHH) that caters to vulnerable population including the elderly who are facing the impacts of climate change. Also, thematic area specific action plans like the National Action Plan on Heat Related Illnesses and the Health Adaptation Plan on Diseases recognize Elderly as a vulnerable population group and guides health systems for elderly-specific actions. The public health advisories, training modules prepared under the programme on heat and extreme weather events also recognize elderly population as vulnerable groups and targeted actions are taken under the programme to reduce morbidity and mortality due to climate variability among the elderly. Under these action plans, elderly groups are provided necessary services provisioned under Heat Stroke Management Units and Chest Clinics. In addition, as per information provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, National Programme for Palliative Care (NPPC), National Programme for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment (NPCBVI), National Mental Health Programme (NMHP), National Oral Health Programme (NOHP), National Programme for Prevention & Control of Deafness (NPPCD) and National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) are some other programmes which also cater to health needs of Elderly. *****