Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 9 (PTI) The Keralam government is preparing to introduce legislation in the upcoming Assembly session to provide a legal guarantee for the care and protection of senior citizens, Chief Minister V D Satheesan said on Friday, expressing hope that the bill would be passed this month.
The proposed legislation aims to ensure that elderly people receive the care and support they need amid changing demographic patterns, rising life expectancy and concerns over the neglect of senior citizens in some households, he told PTI Videos during an interview.
“We are preparing legislation to provide a legal guarantee to senior citizens that they will be protected and that somebody will be there to take care of them,” Satheesan said, ahead of the commencement of the Assembly session on Monday.
The proposed law would seek to ensure that the needs of senior citizens are monitored, including whether they have had their breakfast, lunch and dinner and whether they require palliative care, he said.
The government has already prepared the legislation, which is awaiting clearance from the Law Department, and hopes to pass it during the upcoming Assembly session, he added.
“We are going to start our Assembly session on October 12. I hope we can pass the legislation this month itself,” Satheesan said.
He said the initiative was necessary in view of the significant demographic changes taking place in the state and the steady increase in life expectancy, adding that the issue had not received adequate attention earlier.
The initiative would not be limited to a conventional welfare programme but would seek to make senior citizens more active, constructive and creative through the adoption of the concept of the silver economy (services catering to the elderly), he said.
“Of course, there is a welfare component in it, but we want to make senior citizens more constructive and creative. That is the adoption of the silver economy,” he said.
Satheesan also highlighted the need to strengthen care mechanisms for the elderly, pointing to the increasing number of aged couples living alone as younger people move abroad for employment and other opportunities.
“A brain drain is happening. There are aged couples living alone in many houses. We want to protect them,” he said.
The proposed initiative would include measures to provide care and support to elderly people, especially those from economically weaker sections and those living in rural areas. Even affluent senior citizens might require government support in this regard, he said.
As part of the programme, a volunteer would be appointed in each rural area or panchayat to help look after senior citizens. Data collection to identify elderly people and assess their needs has already begun, he said.
The government has already announced around 12 projects for senior citizens, with an emphasis on strengthening welfare support while enabling them to lead more meaningful and productive lives.
Satheesan also spoke about plans to introduce caregiving courses with training and certification, followed by a one-year internship. The initiative is expected to create employment opportunities for trained caregivers while helping address the growing demand for elderly care.
The government also plans to develop a comprehensive database of senior citizens to assess their numbers and identify those requiring assistance, enabling a data-driven approach to welfare and care initiatives.
The chief minister said the proposed legislation and related measures were intended to strengthen the state’s support system for senior citizens and could serve as a model for the rest of the country.
He said the government was keen to address the challenges arising from demographic changes and ensure that elderly people received adequate care and protection.
