Lok Sabha Question No. 1391 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-09
Subject: Welfare Schemes for the Senior Citizens
Ministry: SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
Asked by: Ms Kangna Ranaut, Shri Pradeep Purohit, Shri Damodar Agrawal, Shri Chintamani Maharaj, Smt. Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah, Dr. Rajesh Mishra, Shri Arun Govil, Smt. Kamaljeet Sehrawat, Smt. Himadri Singh

## GOYERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE  AI\D EMPOWERMENT LOKSABHA

## TJNSTARRED  QI]ESTION  NO.1391 TO BE ATISWERED ON 09.12.2025

## WELI'ARE SCHEMES T'OR THE SENIOR CITIZENS

## t891.  SMT. HTMADRT  SINGH:

SHRIARTJNGOYIL:

SHRI DAMODAR  AGRAWAL:

SHRI PRADEEP PUROHIT:

SMT. MALA RAJYA LAXMI SHAH:

SHRI CHII{TAMANI MAIIARA.tr:

MS KAIYGNA RANAUT:

DR RA.IESH MISHRA:

SMT. KAMALJEET SEHRAWAT:

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

- (a) whether the covemment  is implementing  any welfare schemes for senior  citizens including healthcare, financial  assistance and care homes;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the details of the funds  allocated  and utilised under the said schemes in the country during the last three  years  including  Himachal Pradesh; and
- (d) the details ofthe beneficiaries  under the said schemes in Sidhi Iok Sabha Constituency?

## ANSWER

## MIMSTER OF STATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE  AI{D EMPOWERMENT

(SHRIB.L.VERMA)

(a) & (b): The Ministry  of Social Justice and Empowerment is implementing  an umbrella scherne, namely Atal vayo Abhyuday Yojana  (AWAY)  for the welfare of senior citizens across the country.  The briefofthe  scheme is at Annexure-I.

Further,  the Ministry of Health & Family welfare had also launched a 'National Progamme  for Health Care of the Elderly" (NPHCE)  in 2010-11 to address various health related  issues  of elderly  people. The details ofNPHCE  are at Annexure-Il.

Also, the Ministry of Rural Development  implements  National social  Assistance Progfarnme  (NSAP), a social security  programme for the most vulnerable  persons  of our society living below poverty line, both in rural and urban areas  inespective  of the category of the beneficiaries.  The details ofNSAP are at Annexure-Ill.

(c) The details  of funds  allocated,  utilized under AVYAY  scheme  during the last three years throughout  the country including  the state of Himachal Pradesh is as under:

| Financial Year   |   Funds allocated (in crores) |   Funds released (in crores) |
|------------------|-------------------------------|------------------------------|
| 2022-23          |                        262.33 |                       239.87 |
| 2023-24          |                        324.45 |                       210.48 |
| 2024-2s          |                        413.77 |                       408.14 |

Ministry  of Health & Family welfare  has informed that the details  of funds  approved under NPHCE throughout the country including the state of Hirnachal Pradesh during the last three  years are as under:

| Financial Year   | Funds approved (in crores)   |
|------------------|------------------------------|
| 2022-23          | 64.94                        |
| 202314           | 125.25                       |
| 2024-25          | 8t.a                         |

Ministry  of Rural Development has informed that the details of funds  released  under the component of Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension  Scheme of National Social Assistance  Programme  (NSAP) during the last three  years are as under:

| f inancial Year   |   tr'uuds released (iryrqrq)- |
|-------------------|-------------------------------|
| 2022-23           |                       6827.55 |
| 2023-24           |                       6778.5  |
| 2024-25           |                       6843.95 |

(d) The number of beneficiaries  during the Financial Yeat 2024-25, for the AVYAY  Scheme *a nairu Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme  under the National Social Assistance n.gu- in the state of Madhya Pradesh  including Sidhi Lok sabha constituency are 28'906 and-15,?5,079  respectively. ILe number  of beneficiaries  under the National Programme  for Health-Care  of Elderly in Sidhi Lok Sabha constituency  during Financial  Year 2024-25 te 83,123.

## Annexure  referred to in reply to part (a) & (b) of Lok sabha  unstarred Question  no. 1391 to be answered on 09.12.2025

Details  of components under AVYAY scheme are as follows-

- i. IPSrc  flntegrated  Programme  for Senior citizens)- under IPSTC,  grant-in-aid  is provided  to the organisations  for maintenance of senior citizen homes (Sr'CH), continuous  care homes  (cctl), mobile  medicare units (MMLI) 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.
- ii. sAPsrc (state Action PIan for senior citizens)- The Govemment of India perceives a major and critical  role of all the States/  UTs Govemments in welfare of senior  citizens. Each StateAJT  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 SAPSC,  the Ministry  releases funds to the states/uTs for implementation of their action plans. SAPSTC  is being implemented since FY 2019' 20.
- iii. RW (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 month. The scherne is being implemented  since 201 7.
- iv. Elderline-  The National  Helpline for Sr Citizens  (14567) is to generate awareness about the Act, schemes  &  programmes  being executed by different central  & state Govemments  and to provide platform  to redress  grievances  of Sr Citizens across the county.
- v. Training of Geriatric Care Givers- The main objective is to bridge the gap in supply and increasing  demand in the field of geriatic 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.  Considering  the acute  shortage of Geriatric Caregivers  and the increasing demand in the market, the Departrnent  has decided to tained  1,00,000  hainees in the field of Geriabic  care givers in order to meet tlle demand.
- vi. other Initiatives  for senior citizens- ln order to solve the problems of healthy  and productive ageing, several initiatives  are being done across the county. The proposed initiatives are aimed at involving  the elders  in building  up knowledge  which can be usefrrl  for the societY  as a whole.
- vii. Senior care Ageing Growth Engine  (SAGE)- The main objective is to plomote 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 ofthe elderly'

## Annexure  referred to in reply to part (a) & (b) of Lok sabha  unstarred Question  no. 1391 to be answered on 09.12.2025

The NPHCE is an articulation  of the Intemational and national commitnents  of the Govemment as envisaged  under the UN Convention  on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities  (LINCRPD), National Policy on Older Persons (NPOP) adopted by the Govemment  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  @tI),  Community Health Centres (CHC), Primary Flealth  Centres  (PHC), Sub-Centre/Health  & Wellness  Centes.
2. Tertiary Comoonent:  ('Rashtriya varisth Jan Swasthva  Yojana') These  services are being provided though Regional Geriatric Centres (RGCs) located at 17 Medical colleges  and two National Cenbes  of Aging (NCAs) one in AIIMS, Ansari  Nagar' New Delhi and another in Madras Medical College,  Cherurai.
3. Bgscalqh: A Longitudinal  Ageing Study in India (LASI)  project-The  LASI is a nationally  representative  survey of older  persons  in lndia is being undertaken through Intemational Institute of Population  Sciences (IIPS)' Murnbai.

Package of Services: The program  has two components for provision  of geriatric health care services  i.e: districu sub-distict 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.
- 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 Ilealth 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 staffand  rehabilitation  worker at CHCs.
- 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- Dedicated Geriatric OPD services,  In-door admissions through  l0 bedded  geriatic ward, laboratory investigations  and rehabilitation  services.
- b. Provide services  for the elderly patients referred by the CHCs/PHCs  etc. and refer severc cases to tertiary  level hospitals,

## Tertiary  Level

## (A) Regional Geriatric  Centers:

- a. Provide tertiary  level senices 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 geriatics)  every year.
- c. Providing training to the trainers of identified Distict  hospitals  and medical  colleges
- d. Developing/and  updating Training modules,  guidelines  and IEC materials.
- e. Research  on specific elderly diseases.

## @)  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.
- c. Day care centre for: Investigations,  rehabilitation,  respite  care, dementia care ,continence  care
- d. In patient care for: Intensive  care, acute rehabilitation, diagnostic  and therapeutic services,  long term rehabilitation  service'
- e. Human resources development  in alt sub-specialties of Geriatric  Medicine
- f. Developing  evidence based treatment protocols for Geriatric diseases prevalent in the county.

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## Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) & (b) ofLok sabha unstarred  Question  no. 1391 to be answered on 09.12.2025

Under the NSAP programme, the old aged, widows, and disabled persons belonging to Below Poverty Line (BPL) and firlfilling eligibility  criteria prescribed  in the NSAP guidelines,  are provided financial  assistance, in form ofpension, ranging from Rs.200/- to Rs.500/-  p.m. and 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  of60-79 years is provided and { 500/-  per month to persons  of 80 years  and above  is provided.

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