Facilities to Senior Citizens

Ministry of Social Justiceand Empowerment

• The main Ministry that holds the responsibility of prosperity and well-being of the senior members of the society is the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment. The department has also launched a National policy for the senior members that cover many requirements that meet the benefits required by the seniors of the society. The benefits under the National Policy for the older Persons are given to those who are of age 60 years and above.

• The Ministry has also been executing many systems that provide gain to the senior members of the society:-

• An Integrated Programme for older Persons (Plan Scheme): The mentioned scheme has been framed by modifying the already existing plan named “Assistance to Voluntary Organizations for Programmes relating to the Welfare of the Aged”. The benefit of the scheme is by providing a financial aid of up to 90 percent of the total cost of the project to the NGOs who have been working on or upholding the Old Age homes, Day Care homes and Mobile Medical assistance units. They also provide assistance to the non-institutional facilities to the seniors of the society.

• The other assistance id also provided to the Panchayat Raj organizations, various self-assisting institutes, Volunteer organizations who are setting or starting up new old age home, different centres that work for the seniors.

• The other scheme is the non-plan scheme that provides a onetime support for setting up the old age homes or the multi operations centres to the organizations that doesn’t falls under the government offices but work with support of State Governments or the Union territories offices.

Ministry of Finance

• A rebate on the Income tax for an income earned upto Rs 1.85 Lakh annually.

• Senior citizens are given higher interest rate on the savings done by the Senior citizens.

• The senior citizens are liable to get an interest rate of 9 percent annually for their savings done through the post offices in India. This benefit is also part of benefits that the government of India has introduced for the senior citizens.

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways

• Government of India has launched a scheme that offers two seats in the first row of the buses that run under the State Road Transport. Most of the buses have a priority seating for the senior members.

• Few of the buses run under few state government are given discounts on the fare to the senior member of the society. The State government transports have also taken initiative by designing the buses that prove beneficiary in the matter of convenience for the elder people.

Ministry of Health & Family Welfare

• The senior citizens are given special privileges in the registrations procedures at hospitals by allocating separate lines for the seniors. Even the older people are given preference during any kind of clinical examination. Some hospitals also give financial aid by giving them discounts of the medical facilities.

Department of Telecommunications

• The complaints lodged by the older persons is ranked on the top of the list by mentioning their complaints under the senior citizen section of the society and marking their complaints as VIP flag that is considered as the priority classifications.

• The priority is also given to the telephone connection given to the older person that falls under the N-OYT category that is listed as the highest priority list.

Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution

• As per the Antyodaya Scheme, the families that belong to the Below Poverty Line which also comprises of the senior members are provided the benefit by making them the food grains available at the rate Rs 35 per kg for each family every month. The price of other food grains that are made available to these families are Rs 3 each kg for rice and Rs 2 each kg is the price for wheat. People who age above 60 years and belong to the Below Poverty Line section of society are given precedence on providing a valid identity. Such type of facility is only given to members of family who are 60 years or above age.

• As per the Annapoorna scheme that is executed by the State Government or the Union Territory administrator, each family is provided a 10 kg of food grain for each member every month while the senior members of the society are given this quantity of food grain at no cost but these senior members must not be already taking advantage of old age pension schemes.

• The State Governments are instructed to give precedence to the senior members who are 60 or above years of age and are the holders of the Ration Card to receive the rations from the Fair Price shops. The Fair price shops are also run by the respective State government to support the poor section of the society by enabling them to receive food grains at affordable prices.

Miscellaneous

• The court in India also give precedence to cases that have any senior member of society involved and also take initiative to safeguard their interest by making fast clearance of the cases. The court also holds responsibility of aiding senior citizens by letting them a speedy recovery in the lodged cases that are running in the court.

• If a person falls under Old Age pension scheme, each senior member of society is liable to receive variable amount of pension as decided by their respective State Government or Union Territory administrations. Each state has different amount of pension allotted for senior member of their respective state.