Himachal does its bit, but it’s not enough

Pratibha Chauhan in Shimla

The Himachal government has created various facilities such as old age homes (5), day care centres (11) & counseling centres and help lines (5) for the convenience of its elderly population of 7.03 lakh above the age of 60 years. Himachal was the first state in the country to enact the HP Parents Maintenance and Dependants Act in 2001. Since then 332 cases have been filed, out of which 306 have been decided. "Rooted deep in tradition and conscious that a complaint against their own children would not be taken too kindly, people are reluctant to take legal recourse against their own children," says Sarabjit Singh, running an NGO, Almighty Blessing, in Shimla. 

With a monthly social security pension of Rs 650 for the elderly (above 60) and Rs 1,200 for those above 80 years, Himachal ranks among top states providing a some token financial assistance for the ageing population. Those with an annual income of less than Rs 35,000 are entitled to Rs 650 pension while those above 80 get Rs 1,200 pension. There are 1.06 lakh persons above the age of 80 years in the state. 

"My son who is in government job lives with his family in Shimla but considers me a burden and left me here. Not once has he come to see me or even find out about my well-being," says Surat Ram, living at the Home for the Elderly at Basantpur, 40 km from Shimla. The story of other 28 inmates is no different. With all their needs like food, clothing and medicines being taken care of, they say the pension keeps them going. 

About 10 of the elderly, including five women and four men, are not even mentally stable and have no recollection of their families. They were found abandoned. The newly constructed home for the elderly has very good living facilities. Doctors and yoga teachers visit the inmates once a fortnight. 

The five homes for the elderly accommodate about 80 persons. "We provide them all possible facilities to make their living as comfortable as we can. We are encouraging NGOs to come forward to run more homes for the elderly. We are ready to offer financial assistance," said Robin George, Joint Director.