Nepal’s initiative for parents

Nepal is attempting an interesting initiative to extend the social cover to its elderly population by introducing a law that makes it incumbent on employed children to deposit 5 to 10 per cent of their income into their parents’ accounts to ensure their security. The trend of neglecting one’s ageing parents by children with income streams has spurred the government into action. This trend is not specific to Nepal. It is, unfortunately, fast becoming a ‘done thing’ even in a traditional, family-oriented society like ours as work-related intra- and inter-country migration takes children away from their parents. 

India’s Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, does have provisions for the welfare of its elderly citizens, projected to make up 12.40 per cent of the population by 2026. It is legally binding on children to provide maintenance to parents. But there is no mechanism to ensure its compliance, making it merely a redress mechanism, albeit a powerful one, for parents who wish to take a legal recourse. Senior citizens do get several concessions, but forced to live alone, without any emotional comfort, they do need some kind of income support.

There was a time when social norms and the advantages of the joint family system obviated the ill-treatment of parents. The times changed, and with it, the hearts of children, who no longer believe that they owe it all to their parents. Somewhere along the way, the glamour of a fast life extracted a price, cutting coldly through the resilient filial bonds. Those who were an umbrella of safety once, a source of unending blessings, became a burden. Along with symbols of advancement that sprung up in every city, old-age homes jostled for space in a consumerist space; unwanted parents struggled for dignity — their suffering is for the entire society to see. Like the joint family system, the parent-child bond has come undone. Alas, moral, bounden duty is a relic of the past, as are the Shravan Kumars.