New Delhi, Nov 18 (IANS) Union Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Virendra Kumar on Tuesday stressed the need to educate the elderly about laws under which children are legally bound to provide maintenance to their parents.

Addressing as Special Session on Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, at Ambedkar International Centre, Minister Virendra Kumar said, “The Ministry is working on three pillars of Empowerment, Sensitivity and Participation.”

“Many schemes are being run by the government for the welfare of elderly citizens. Under the Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana, more than 7 lakh senior citizens have benefited from aids and assistive devices,” he said.

Emotional support is being given through Elderline, a toll-free number 14567. Government is providing health insurance coverage of Rs 5 lakh to every senior citizen who is 70-plus years old, he said.

The session, organised in collaboration with National Legal Service Authority (NALSA), aimed to spread awareness on Legal Rights of the senior citizens, policies/programmes facilitating these rights and the role of the community in the enforcement of these Rights, both at the individual level and at the community level.

The MWPSC Act, 2007, provides a legal framework to ensure the welfare and protection of senior citizens. The Act mandates that children and specified relatives are legally obliged to provide maintenance to senior citizens, including parents, to meet their basic needs, with provision for a monthly maintenance allowance.

Justice Surya Kant, Judge, Supreme Court of India and Executive Chairman, NALSA, said that with the changing times, there has been a steady decline in attention towards the issues, respect and centrality towards the issues of the elderly in the present hyper-connected world with the technological advancements.

He proposed that our solutions should be based on the existing frameworks. The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act 2007 is a landmark legislation in these directions that protects our senior citizens is not a benevolence but a binding societal obligation.

Social Justice and Empowerment Secretary Amit Yadav stated that the senior citizen population in the country is projected to rise from 10.38 crore in 2011 to 34 crore in 2050.

“This demographic shift places responsibility on the government to ensure that the senior citizens live with dignity, security and meaningful participation,” he said.

He also mentioned the challenges being faced by the elderly due to the digital and financial changes, and how the younger generation and community should come forward to their aid.

–IANS

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