Lok Sabha Question No. 2885 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-10
Subject: Welfare of Senior Citizens
Ministry: SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
Asked by: Shri Jagdambika Pal, Shri Anurag Singh Thakur

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2885 TO BE ANSWERED ON 10.03.2026

## WELFARE OF SENIOR CITIZENS

## 2885 SHRI JAGDAMBIKA PAL: SHRI ANURAG SINGH THAKUR:

## Will the Minister of SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of dedicated programmes being implemented for the welfare, social security and healthy ageing of senior citizens in the country;
- b) the details of schemes such as the Integrated  Programme for Senior Citizens, Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (RVY) Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY) the provisions under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act; 2007 along with the achievements  made during the last three years in the country, district-wise in Himachal Pradesh; key
- (c) whether the Government is expanding geriatric care facilities, including NPHCE units, geriatric OPDs, daycare centres and digital health services to ensure accessible, affordable elderly care, if the details thereof; SO,
- (d) whether the Government in coordination with the Ministry of Health and Education is considering   recognizing   geriatric care,  gerontology and   elderly nursing as specialized educational or professional streams to meet rising demand for trained caregivers, if $0, the details thereof; and
- elderly helplines in the States?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT (SHRI BL.VERMA)

- (a) & (e): The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is implementing an umbrella scheme,  namely, the Atal  Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY) for the citizens acroSS the country: The details of the scheme are given in Annexure I

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in October 2024, expanded the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) to provide free health cover of Rs. 5 lakh per year to all senior citizens 70 years and above, irrespective of their socioeconomic status aged

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is also implementing 'National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly" (NPHCE) to address various health-related issues of the elderly persons. The details of NPHCE are given in Annexure II

The Ministry of Rural Development implements the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) under   which the financial assistance is given to the eligible senior citizens  The details of NSAP are given in Annexure-III

The Department of Financial Services is implementing the Atal Pension Yojana (APY) As years of age) shall receive a monthly pension   after attaining the age of 60 years, until their death, depending on the level of contribution chosen: The details of APY are given in Annexure-IV.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs have informed that Land and Colonization fall under Entry 18 of List-II (State List) of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India and thus the  subject   falls within the   legislative   competence of the State   Governments: However; in order to provide a uniform  framework and  facilitate the StatesMUTs,  Model Guidelines for the Development and Regulation of Retirement Homes have been formulated and  circulated by the Central Government: These  guidelines are  intended to serve as a guiding document for the States/UTs to incorporate suitable provisions in their respective legislations and regulations for safeguarding the rights and interests of senior citizens and retirees residing in these retirement homes.

Further; the Real Estate   (Regulation  and Development) Act; 2016 (RERA), enacted by Parliament,  aims to promote transparency, accountability and efficiency in the real estate sector: The provisions of RERA are fully applicable to retirement homes, treating them at par with other   real estate projects This  ensures   protection of the interests of homebuyers, including senior citizens and other vulnerable residents, from violations or malpractices by the developers  Furthermore, RERA mandates strict compliance with applicable norms and local laws by real estate developers during the execution of such projects

(b): The   achievements under  the  schemes  of Integrated Programme   for  Senior Citizens (TPSrC) and Rashtriya Vayoshri   Yojana (RVY) which are components of the AVYAY Scheme, during the last three years in the country and district-wise in the State of Himachal Pradesh; are given in Annexure-V.

As per Section 7 and 15 of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act; the State Governments are mandated to constitute Maintenance Tribunals and Appellate Tribunals. The State-wise details of the  maintenance applications  and appeals received and disposed off in the States are not maintained centrally in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment:

(c) & (d): The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, under its National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly (NPHCE), provides geriatric healthcare services across all the States/UTs through Government healthcare facilities. Dedicated geriatric services under the programme have been  progressively scaled up across the country. In addition, Regional Geriatric Centres  (RGCs) have been   sanctioned for  tertiary care service delivery  under NPHCE in the form of 'specialized OPDs and in-patient wards, including earmarked beds in various specialties such as urology, orthopaedics, ophthalmology; etc , along with manpower development and research  activities. National  Centres of Ageing (NCAs) have also been established and are functioning as Centres of Excellence for geriatric care services.

The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment is implementing a scheme namely the System of   Providing Elder Care (In-House) and Assisted   Living   (PM-SPECIAL), a component of AVYAY, with the objective to bridging the gap between supply and the increasing demand in the field of geriatric caregivers, SO as to provide more professional services to senior citizens and also to create a cadre of professional caregivers in the field of geriatrics. A total of 35,480 geriatric caregivers have been trained so far under this scheme

## 2885 to be answered on 10.03.2026

Details of components under AVYA Y scheme are as follows-

- 1\_ IPSrC (Integrated Programme for Senior Citizens)- Under IPSrC; grant-in-aid is provided to the organisations for maintenance citizen homes   (Sr.CH), continuous care homes (CCH), mobile medicare units (MMU) and physiotherapy clinics. The objective of the scheme is to improve the quality of life of the Senior Citizens, especially indigent senior citizens by providing basic amenities like shelter; food, medical care and entertainment opportunities and by encouraging productive and active ageing: The   Department have also formulated Senior Citizen Homes   which  provides   accessible infrastructure across all Senior Citizen Homes throughout the country
- ii. SAPSrC  (State Action Plan for Senior   Citizens)The Government of India perceives a major and critical role of all the States/ UTs Governments in welfare of senior citizens: Each State/UT is expected to plan taking into account their local considerations and frame their own State Action Plans for the welfare of their senior citizens. Under SAPSrC, the Ministry releases funds to the States/UTs for implementation of their action SAPSrC is being implemented since FY 201920. plans
- RVY (Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana)- The scheme aims for providing Physical Aids and Assisted Living Devices for Senior Citizens below poverty line and with the family income not exceed to Rs: 15,000/-per The scheme is being implemented since 2017.
- iv. Elderline- The National  Helpline for Sr Citizens (14567) is to generate awareness about the Act, schemes programmes being executed by different Central & State Governments and to provide platform to redress grievances of Sr Citizens across the country.
- V System of Providing Elder Care (In House) and Assisted Living (PM-SPECIAL) The main objective is to bridge the gap in supply and increasing demand in the field of geriatric   caregivers SO as to provide more professional  services to the   senior citizens and also to create a cadre of 'professional care givers in the field of geriatrics
- vi. Other Initiatives for Senior Citizens- In order to solve the problems of healthy &d productive ageing, several initiatives are being done across the country. The proposed initiatives are aimed at involving the elders in building up knowledge which can be useful for the society as a whole.
- vii. Seniorcare Ageing Growth Engine (SAGE)- The main objective is to promote outof-the-box and innovative solutions for the commonly faced problems, innovative start- ups would be identified and encouraged for developing products, processes and services for the welfare of the elderly.

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) & (e ) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question no: 2885 to be answered on 10.03.2026

The  NPHCE is an articulation International and national commitments of the Government as envisaged under the UN Convention on the   Rights of   Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD); National   Policy on Older Persons   (NPOP) adopted the Government of India in 1999 & Section 20 of  The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act; 2007" dealing with provisions for medical care of Senior Citizens The objective of  NPHCE is to provide   accessible,  affordable, and   high-quality   long-term, comprehensive and dedicated healthcare services to the elderly.

## Components of the Program:

1. National Health\_Mission (NHM) Component: Primary &   Secondary care   service delivery through District Hospitals (DH), Community Health Centres (CHC), Primary Health Centres (PHC), Sub-Centre/Health & Wellness Centres:
2. Tertiary \_Component: Rashtriya\_Varisth Jan\_Swasthya\_Yojana ) These services are being provided though Regional Geriatric Centres (RGCs) located at 17 Medical colleges and two National Centres of Aging (NCAs) one in AIIMS, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi and another in Madras Medical College, Chennai.
3. 3 Research: A Longitudinal  Ageing Study in India (LASI) project:-The LASI is a nationally representative survey of older persons in India is undertaken through International Institute of Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai. being

Package of Services: The program has two components for provision of geriatric health care services i.e: district/ sub-district level component and tertiary level  component The package of services provided to elderly people at both levels is as given below.

## Sub Centre:

- a. Health Education related to healthy ageing, environmental modifications, nutritional requirements, life styles and behavioural changes:
2. b Special attention to home bound bedridden elderly persons and provide training to the family health care providers in looking after the disabled elderly persons.

Primary Health Centre: Weekly  geriatric   clinic by a trained Medical Officer  (MO): Services would include: conducting health assessment of the elderly persons and simple investigation including blood sugar, etc

## Community Health Centre

- a. Biweekly geriatric Clinic and Rehabilitation services to be arranged by trained staff and rehabilitation worker at CHCs.
2. b Domiciliary visits by the rehabilitation  worker  will be  undertaken for bed-ridden elderly and counseling to family members for care such patients.

## District Hospitals:

- a\_ ward, laboratory investigations and rehabilitation services.
- b. Provide services for the elderly patients referred by the CHCs/PHCs etc. and refer severe cases to tertiary level hospitals.

## Tertiary Level

## (A) Regional Geriatric Centers:

- a Provide tertiary level  services for complicated/serious Geriatric Cases referred from Medical Colleges, District Hospitals and below.
- b Conduct post graduate courses in Geriatric Medicine. Each RGC to produce 2 post graduates (MD geriatrics) every year.
- C. Providing training to the trainers of identified District hospitals and medical colleges
- d. Developing/and updating Training modules, guidelines and IEC materials.
- e Research on specific elderly diseases.

## (B) National Center of Ageing

- a. High level tertiary care with multidisciplinary clinical services involving medical and surgical disciplines
- b. Specialised  OPD care in various clinical disciplines.  Special clinics like memory clinic, fall and syncope clinic, frail elderly clinic, aids and appliances clinic, implants and cosmetic clinic.
3. C care centre for: Investigations,  rehabilitation,  respite care, dementia care ,continence care Day
- d. In patient care for: Intensive care, acute rehabilitation, diagnostic and therapeutic services, long term rehabilitation service.
- e. Human resources development in all sub-specialties of Geriatric Medicine
6. f Developing evidence based treatment protocols for Geriatric diseases prevalent in the country.

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) & (e) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question no. 2885 to be answered on 10.03.2026

Under the NSAP programme, the old aged, widows, and disabled persons belonging to Below Poverty Line (BPL) and fulfilling eligibility criteria prescribed in the NSAP guidelines, are in the case of death of the breadwinner of such family, lump sum assistance of Rs. 20,000/- is given to the bereaved family. One of the components under the scheme is Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme under which assistance of < 200/- per month to persons in the age group of 60-79 years is provided and < 500/- per month to persons of 80 years and above is provided.

## 2885\_to\_be answered on1003.2026

The Department of Financial Services is implementing the Atal Pension Yojana(APY) which was launched on 09.05.2015 with the objective of creating a universal social security system  for all Indians, especially the pOOr, the under- privileged and the workers in the unorganized sector: It is open to all citizens of India between 18-40 years of age having a savings bank account in a bank Or post-office. For better targeting of guaranteed pension to unorganized sector workers, an income tax payer shall not be eligible to join APY from 01.10.2022. The subscriber under APY is required to make a monthlylquarterlylsix monthly contribution of an amount determined by the amount of pension chosen and the age of joining the scheme. The subscriber shall receive a government guaranteed minimum pension of Rs. 1000 per month, Rs 2000 per month, Rs 3000 per month, Rs 4000 per month o Rs 5000 per month, after the age of 60 years until death, depending on the contribution chosen: The spouse of the subscriber shall be entitled to receive the same pension amount as that of the subscriber after the death of the subscriber: After the death of both subscriber and the spouse, the nominee of the subscriber shall be entitled to receive the pension wealth, as accumulated till age 60 of the subscriber: As per the scheme, subscriber will receive pension benefit o attaining the age of 60 years.

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (b) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question no. 2885 to be answered on 10.03.2026

- IPSrC: The details of funds released(country-wise) and number of beneficiaries served under the IPSrC during the last three years in the country are aS under

| Financial Year   |   Fund Released (Rs: in crore) | Number of Beneficiaries   |
|------------------|--------------------------------|---------------------------|
| 2022-23          |                          72.31 | 87745                     |
| 2023-24          |                         118.95 | 157820                    |
| 2024-25          |                         125.42 |                           |

under the IPSrC during the last three years in the State of Himachal Pradesh are as under

| Financial Year   | Shimla                        |                      | Bilaspur                      |                      |
|------------------|-------------------------------|----------------------|-------------------------------|----------------------|
|                  | Funds released (Rs: in crore) | No. of Beneficiaries | Funds released (Rs: in crore) | No. of Beneficiaries |
| 2022-23          | 0.20                          | 25                   | 0.028                         | 25                   |
| 2023-24          | 0.22                          | 25                   | 0.046                         | 25                   |
| 2024-25          | 0.18                          | 25                   | 0.16                          | 25                   |

- () RVY: A total of 3,14,777 beneficiaries have been served and appliances for an amount of Rs. 272.71 crore have been distributed during the last three years under RVY across the country.

total of 1655 beneficiaries have been served under the RVY in the State of Himachal Pradesh: District Wise details of the beneficiaries served during the last three years are as under:

| S.No.   | Name of the District   | Number of beneficiaries   |
|---------|------------------------|---------------------------|
|         | Bilaspur               | 160                       |
| 2       | Chamba                 | 35                        |
| 3       | Hamirpur               |                           |
| 5       | Kangra                 | 20                        |
|         | Kinnaur                | 0                         |
| {       | Kullu                  |                           |
|         | Lahul and Spiti        | 0                         |
|         | Mandi                  | 1420                      |
| 9       | Shimla                 |                           |
| 10      | Sirmaur                |                           |
| 11      | Solan                  |                           |
| 12      | Una                    |                           |

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