Union Minister Dr. Virendra Kumar Chairs 5th Meeting of National Council for Senior Citizens; Reviews Key Initiatives, Policy Issues Concerning The Welfare, Healthcare And Empowerment Of Elderly
Read or download the official PDF of this gazette notification issued by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment on 14th August 2026. Classified under Press Release.
Executive Summary
The 5th Meeting of the National Council for Senior Citizens, held on 14 August 2026, focused on reviewing policy issues and welfare initiatives to ensure the dignity, health, and empowerment of the elderly. Key highlights included the deliberation on universal health insurance for all citizens aged 60 and above under AB-PMJAY and the launch of several digital platforms. The Council emphasized the need for expeditious implementation of previous recommendations through inter-ministerial coordination to achieve the vision of "Viksit Bharat @2047."
Key Points / Main Content
Policy and Scheme Reviews
Assessed the outreach and effectiveness of the Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY).
Deliberated on extending Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) coverage to all senior citizens over 60, regardless of financial background.
Reviewed a proposal to include Geriatric Caregiver services in the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) rate card.
Evaluated the progress of decisions made during the 4th Meeting of the National Council for Senior Citizens.
Digital Initiatives and Launches
SNEHA E-Book: Launched "Stories of Nurturing, Engagement, Happiness & Active Ageing," documenting the Ministry’s efforts and achievements from October 2024 to June 2026.
JEEVAN App: Introduced the Joint Elderly Empowerment & Virtual Assistance Network app to provide unified mobile access to welfare schemes.
SHATAYU Platform: Launched the Senior Holistic Care Assistance and Training for Your Utility platform to connect users with trained Geriatric caregivers.
Governance and Strategic Goals
Reiterated commitment to the "Ageing with Dignity" theme and the broader vision of an inclusive, age-friendly society.
Pledged to strengthen inter-ministerial convergence and technology-enabled governance for better service delivery.
Impact Analysis
Senior Citizens (Aged 60+ and their families)Impact
They will benefit from expanded health insurance coverage irrespective of income and gain simplified, technology-driven access to government welfare schemes and professional caregiving services.
Action Required
Utilize the JEEVAN app for welfare access and the SHATAYU platform to engage trained geriatric caregivers.
Central Ministries, State Governments, and UTsImpact
These bodies are tasked with moving beyond deliberation to active, coordinated service delivery to meet the goals of the Viksit Bharat @2047 vision.
Action Required
Ensure the expeditious implementation of recommendations and maintain close coordination among line departments to deliver welfare benefits effectively.
Geriatric Caregivers and NGOsImpact
The formalization of caregiver services through the CGHS rate card and digital platforms like SHATAYU provides a structured framework for their services and participation in senior welfare.
Action Required
NGOs and caregiver experts must work in coordination with the government to support community participation and "Ageing at place" initiatives.
Key Entities Referenced
National Council for Senior Citizens (NCSrC): The primary advisory body that deliberates on key policy issues concerning the welfare, healthcare, and empowerment of senior citizens.
Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY): A landmark health insurance initiative extending coverage to all senior citizens aged 60 and above, regardless of their financial background.
Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY): A comprehensive umbrella scheme focused on the outreach and impact of welfare services for the elderly.
JEEVAN (Joint Elderly Empowerment & Virtual Assistance Network) App: A flagship digital platform providing senior citizens with seamless and unified access to various welfare schemes and services.
SHATAYU (Senior Holistic Care Assistance and Training for Your Utility): A dedicated digital initiative to facilitate the services of trained geriatric caregivers, promoting the principle of ageing at place.
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
Union Minister Dr. Virendra Kumar Chairs 5th
Meeting of National Council for Senior Citizens;
Reviews Key Initiatives, Policy Issues
Concerning The Welfare, Healthcare And
Empowerment Of Elderly
Launches E-Book "SNEHA – Stories of Nurturing,
Engagement, Happiness & Active Ageing"
प्रव तथ: 14 AUG 2026 7:52PM by PIB Delhi
The 5th Meeting of the National Council for Senior Citizens (NCSrC) was held under the Chairmanship of
Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Dr. Virendra Kumar, at Dr Ambedkar International
Centre, in National Capital today.
The meeting was attended by Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Shri Sudhansh Pant,
Joint Secretary Senior Citizens Division Smt Monali P Dhakate, Members of the Council, representatives
of Central Ministries/Departments, State Governments, experts, NGOs and senior citizen organisations to
deliberate on key policy issues concerning the welfare, healthcare and empowerment of senior citizens.
Addressing the meeting, Dr. Virendra Kumar reiterated that the Government, under the leadership of
Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi remains committed to ensuring that every senior citizen leads
a life of dignity, security, good health and active participation in society. He emphasized that the welfare
and empowerment of senior citizens constitute an integral component of the vision of Viksit Bharat
@2047 and called upon all stakeholders to work in close coordination towards building an inclusive, age-
friendly and caring society.
The Council carried out a comprehensive review of the implementation of the Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana
(AVYAY) assessing the outreach, effectiveness and impact. The Council deliberated on the
implementation of the Government's landmark initiative extending health insurance coverage under
Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) to all senior citizens aged 60 years
and above providing health insurance coverage, irrespective of their financial background. The Council
also deliberated upon the proposal for inclusion of Geriatric Caregivers services in the Central
Government Health Scheme (CGHS) rate card.
The Council also reviewed the action taken on the decisions of the 4th Meeting of the National Council
for Senior Citizens. The Hon'ble Minister emphasized the need for expeditious implementation of the
recommendations through close coordination among the line Ministries/Departments and States/UTs to
ensure effective delivery of welfare services and benefits to senior citizens.The Council further considered various suggestions and recommendations received from Non-Official
Members, States and line Ministries/Departments on issues relating to social security, institutional care,
active ageing, capacity building and community participation for enhancing the quality of life of senior
citizens.
On the occasion, the Hon'ble Minister launched "SNEHA – Stories of Nurturing, Engagement,
Happiness & Active Ageing", an e-book showcasing the major programmes, initiatives and achievements
of the Department for the welfare and empowerment of senior citizens from October 2024 to June 2026.
The E-book highlights the journey of 21 months of the Ministry's sustained efforts towards promoting
healthy ageing, fostering active participation of senior citizens in nation-building activities and outreach
with the theme of Ageing with Dignity.The Council also appreciated the Department’s effort on launch of two flagship digital initiatives to
strengthen technology-enabled governance in the senior citizen sector.
The JEEVAN (Joint Elderly Empowerment & Virtual Assistance Network) App has been developed
to provide senior citizens and their families with seamless and unified access to welfare schemes and
services through a user-friendly mobile platform. SHATAYU (Senior Holistic Care Assistance and
Training for Your Utility) has been developed as a dedicated digital platform to avail the services of
trained Geriatric caregivers emphasising the principle of Ageing at place.
The meeting pledged a renewed commitment to strengthen inter-ministerial convergence, leverage digital
technologies for improving governance and service delivery, and promote healthy, active and dignified
ageing for senior citizens across the country.
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