Parliament Question: Welfare Schemes for the Senior Citizens

GOYERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AI\D EMPOWERMENT LOKSABHA TJNSTARRED QI]ESTION NO.1391 TO BE ATISWERED ON 09.12.2025 WELI'ARE SCHEMES T'OR THE SENIOR CITIZENS t891. SMT. HTMADRT SINGH: SHRIARTJNGOYIL: SHRI DAMODAR AGRAWAL: SHRI PRADEEP PUROHIT: SMT. MALA RAJYA LAXMI SHAH: SHRI CHII{TAMANI MAIIARA.tr: MS KAIYGNA RANAUT: DR RA.IESH MISHRA: SMT. KAMALJEET SEHRAWAT: Wilt the Minister of SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT be pleased to state: (a) whether the covemment is implementing any welfare schemes for senior citizens including healthcare, financial assistance and care homes; (b) if so, the details thereof; (c) the details of the funds allocated and utilised under the said schemes in the country during the last three years including Himachal Pradesh; and (d) the details ofthe beneficiaries under the said schemes in Sidhi Iok Sabha Constituency? ANSWER MIMSTER OF STATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AI{D EMPOWERMENT (SHRIB.L.VERMA) (a) & (b): The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is implementing an umbrella scherne, namely Atal vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AWAY) for the welfare of senior citizens across the country. The briefofthe scheme is at Annexure-I. Further, the Ministry of Health & Family welfare had also launched a 'National Progamme for Health Care of the Elderly" (NPHCE) in 2010-11 to address various health related issues of elderly people. The details ofNPHCE are at Annexure-Il. Also, the Ministry of Rural Development implements National social Assistance Progfarnme (NSAP), a social security programme for the most vulnerable persons of our of society living below poverty line, both in rural and urban areas inespective of the category the beneficiaries. The details ofNSAP are at Annexure-Ill.(c) The details of funds allocated, utilized under AVYAY scheme during the last three years throughout the country including the state of Himachal Pradesh is as under: Funds allocated Funds released Financial Year (in crores) (in crores) 2022-23 262.33 239.87 2023-24 324.45 210.48 2024-2s 413.77 408.14 Ministry of Health & Family welfare has informed that the details of funds approved under NPHCE throughout the country including the state of Hirnachal Pradesh during the last three years are as under: Funds approved Financial Year (in crores) 2022-23 64.94 202314 125.25 8t.a 2024-25 Ministry of Rural Development has informed that the details of funds released under the component of Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme of National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) during the last three years are as under: tr'uuds released f inancial Year (iryrqrq)- 2022-23 6827.55 2023-24 6778.50 2024-25 6843.95 (d) The number of beneficiaries during the Financial Yeat 2024-25, for the AVYAY Scheme *a nairu Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme under the National Social Assistance n.gu- in the state of Madhya Pradesh including Sidhi Lok sabha constituency are 28'906 and-15,?5,079 respectively. ILe number of beneficiaries under the National Programme for te Health-Care of Elderly in Sidhi Lok Sabha constituency during Financial Year 2024-25 83,123. *--q) -Annexure-I Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) & (b) of Lok sabha unstarred Question no. 1391 to be answered on 09.12.2025 Details of components under AVYAY scheme are as follows- i. IPSrc flntegrated Programme for Senior citizens)- under IPSTC, grant-in-aid is provided to the organisations for maintenance of senior citizen homes (Sr'CH), continuous care homes (cctl), mobile medicare units (MMLI) and physiotherapy clinics. The objective of the scheme is to improve the quality of life of the Senior Citizens, especially indigent senior citizens by providing basic amenities like shelter, food, medical care and entertainment opportunities and by encouraging productive and active ageing. ii. sAPsrc (state Action PIan for senior citizens)- The Govemment of India perceives a major and critical role of all the States/ UTs Govemments in welfare of senior citizens. Each StateAJT is expected to plan taking into account their local considerations and frame their own State Action Plans for the welfare of their senior citizens. under SAPSC, the Ministry releases funds to the states/uTs for implementation of their action plans. SAPSTC is being implemented since FY 2019' 20. iii. RW (Rashtriya vayoshri Yojana)- The scheme aims for providing Physical Aids and Assisted Living Devices for senior citizens below poverty line and with the family income not exceed to Rs. 15,000/-per month. The scherne is being implemented since 201 7. iv. Elderline- The National Helpline for Sr Citizens (14567) is to generate awareness about the Act, schemes & programmes being executed by different central & state Govemments and to provide platform to redress grievances of Sr Citizens across the county. v. Training of Geriatric Care Givers- The main objective is to bridge the gap in supply and increasing demand in the field of geriatic caregivers so as to provide more professional services to the senior citizens and also to create a cadre of professional care givers in the field of geriatrics. Considering the acute shortage of Geriatric Caregivers and the increasing demand in the market, the Departrnent has decided to tained 1,00,000 hainees in the field of Geriabic care givers in order to meet tlle demand. vi. other Initiatives for senior citizens- ln order to solve the problems of healthy and productive ageing, several initiatives are being done across the county. The proposed initiatives are aimed at involving the elders in building up knowledge which can be usefrrl for the societY as a whole. vii. Senior care Ageing Growth Engine (SAGE)- The main objective is to plomote out- of-the-box and innovative solutions for the commonly faced problems, innovative start- ups would be identified and encouraged for developing products, processes and services for the welfare ofthe elderly' -3-Annexure-Il Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) & (b) of Lok sabha unstarred Question no. 1391 to be answered on 09.12.2025 The NPHCE is an articulation of the Intemational and national commitnents of the Govemment as envisaged under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (LINCRPD), National Policy on Older Persons (NPOP) adopted by the Govemment of India in 1999 & Section 20 of '"The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act" 2007" dealing with provisions for medical care of Senior Citizens The objective of NPHCE is to provide accessible, affordable, and high-quality long-term, comprehensive and dedicated healthcare services to the elderly. Components of the Program: 1. National Health Mission (NHM) Component: Primary & Secondary care service delivery through District Hospitals @tI), Community Health Centres (CHC), Primary Flealth Centres (PHC), Sub-Centre/Health & Wellness Centes. 2. Tertiary Comoonent: ('Rashtriya varisth Jan Swasthva Yojana') These services are being provided though Regional Geriatric Centres (RGCs) located at 17 Medical colleges and two National Cenbes of Aging (NCAs) one in AIIMS, Ansari Nagar' New Delhi and another in Madras Medical College, Cherurai. 3. Bgscalqh: A Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) project-The LASI is a nationally representative survey of older persons in lndia is being undertaken through Intemational Institute of Population Sciences (IIPS)' Murnbai. Package of Services: The program has two components for provision of geriatric health care services i.e: districu sub-distict level component and tertiary level component. The package of services provided to elderly people at both levels is as given below. Sub Centre: a. Health Education related to healthy ageing environmental modifications, nutritional requirements, life styles and behavioural changes. b. Special attention to home bound / bedridden elderly persons and provide training to the family health care providers in looking after the disabled elderly persons' Primary Ilealth Centre: Weekly geriatric clinic by a trained Medical Officer (MO). Services would include: conducting health assessment of the elderly persons and simple investigation including blood sugar, etc. Community Health Centre a. Biweekly geriatric clinic and Rehabilitation services to be arranged by trained staffand rehabilitation worker at CHCs. b. Domiciliary visits by the rehabilitation worker will be undertaken for bed-ridden elderly and counseling to family members for care such patients. -\-District Hospitals: a- Dedicated Geriatric OPD services, In-door admissions through l0 bedded geriatic ward, laboratory investigations and rehabilitation services. b. Provide services for the elderly patients referred by the CHCs/PHCs etc. and refer severc cases to tertiary level hospitals, Tertiary Level (A) Regional Geriatric Centers: a. Provide tertiary level senices for complicated/serious Geriatric Cases referred from Medical Colleges, District Hospitals and below b. Conduct post graduate courses in Geriatric Medicine. Each RGC to produce 2 post graduates (MD geriatics) every year. c. Providing training to the trainers of identified Distict hospitals and medical colleges d. Developing/and updating Training modules, guidelines and IEC materials. e. Research on specific elderly diseases. @) National Center of Ageing a. High level tertiary care with multidisciplinary clinical services involving medical and surgical disciplines. b. specialised oPD care in various clinical disciplines. Special clinics like memory clinic, fall and syncope clinic, frail elderly clinic, aids and appliances clinic, implants and cosmetic clinic. c. Day care centre for: Investigations, rehabilitation, respite care, dementia care ,continence care d. In patient care for: Intensive care, acute rehabilitation, diagnostic and therapeutic services, long term rehabilitation service' e. Human resources development in alt sub-specialties of Geriatric Medicine f. Developing evidence based treatment protocols for Geriatric diseases prevalent in the county. l-- -Annexure-III Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) & (b) ofLok sabha unstarred Question no. 1391 to be answered on 09.12.2025 Under the NSAP programme, the old aged, widows, and disabled persons belonging to Below Poverty Line (BPL) and firlfilling eligibility criteria prescribed in the NSAP guidelines, are provided financial assistance, in form ofpension, ranging from Rs.200/- to Rs.500/- p.m. and in the case of death of the breadwinner of such family, lump sum assistance of Rs. 20,000/- is given to the bereaved family.One of the components under of the scheme is Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme under which assistance { 200/- per month to persons in the age group of60-79 years is provided and { 500/- per month to persons of 80 years and above is provided. +*+** -6-