To Date:
11-7-12.
Shri Anil Goswami,
Secretary (Welfare), Ministry of Social Justice &
Empowerment,
Government of India , Shastri Bhavan,
New Delhi-110 001.
Sub: Welcome as our Welfare Secretary.
1.
We, along with 12 crore Elders of Our Country,
are very enthusiastic to welcome you as our Welfare Secretary with Blessings
and Best Wishes with a great hope that you will do your Best to look after our
welfare in true & sincere spirit by streamlining the working of our Nodal
Ministry.
2.
By now, you might have been aware of existing
National Policy of Older Persons, 99 (NPOP,99) and its long pending revision as
per recommendations given by Review Committee handed over to Hon, Minister on
30-3-11. From the time Review Committee was appointed on 28-1-10, action is
being neither taken on provisions of NPOP, 99 nor on suggestions by Review
Committee to give separate department of Senior Citizens; Directorate of Senior
Citizens in States/UTs; National/State Commission for Senior Citizens;
Implementation Cells in offices of all Stake Holders etc. Large number of
important provisions of NPOP, 99 is not implemented by various Stake Holders
even after 13 years till today and Nodal Ministry is not taking systematic action
to chase various Stake Holders. As per para 93 of NPOP, 99 (repeated by Review
Committee also), each Ministry is required to prepare its own Five Year and
Annual Action plan to implement various aspects which concern them with targets
& Time Schedules. No ministry has ever prepared such plans or time
schedules and Nodal Ministry has never reminded anyone to give information
about implementation of various provisions, except holding irregularly (not
even once in a year many times) a meeting of Inter-Ministerial Committee by
giving them some action points without reference to paras of NPOP, 99,
resulting in non-implementation of very important provisions of NPOP, 99 during
13 years. It is necessary that each Stake Holder is given a list of provisions
concerning them and Plans obtained for early implementation.
3.
As per para 96, an autonomous registered
National Association of Older Persons (NAOP) at National, State & District
levels was to be established to ``mobilize
Senior Citizens, particulate their interests, promote & undertake
programmes & activities for their wellbeing & to advise the Government
on all matters relating to older persons.`` No action is taken in 13 years
to form such useful negotiating Machinery nor any of the existing registered
Confederation/Federation/Association is recognized for even sending copies of
various orders/circulars about facilities/grants/celebrations/
Vayoshreshta Sanman Awards rules, forms, last date etc. from Nodal
Ministry or other Ministries affecting Senior Citizens. Ministry of Personnel, P.G. & Pensions,
which is a Nodal Ministry for all Pensioners of all departments, has recognized
as many as 78 Associations of Pensioners and these are supplied with all
circulars and are allowed to represent the grievances of pensioners. 27
Associations of them have been provided with Pension Portals-Hard ware, Soft
ware & Training at the cost of Ministry and are paid Rs 75000 p.a. for
telephone, internet connection, stationery, AMC/Battery replacement, subsidy
towards rent for office building, water, electricity etc and honorarium of part
time Data Entry Operator to each of these 27 Associations
(Lr.No55(6)2012-P&P© dt 28-3-12). They have established SCOVA, which meets
regularly. Their Web Site provides direct contact with them by Pensioners &
Associations for their grievances. Our
Nodal Ministry has not recognized a single Association or sending a single
circular to any of the Associations. Our Web Site is complicated and also not
kept up to date and most of the time difficult to get connected for a
particular subject. Though portion of Senior Citizens is shown in margin as a
separate entity, it does not give the required information. More over many
Senior Citizens do not have access to computers. There is absolute need for
providing a separate Web Site for Senior Citizens. It appears that two
departments are formed with effect from 14-5-12 but Department exclusively for
Senior Citizens is not created!! The department of Victims of substance abuse is
also included in Department of S.J.& E. This is not fare for 12 crore
Elders of the Country! Web Site may please be segregated for Department of Disabilities and Victims
of substance abuse and exclusive Web Site for Senior Citizens may please be
given. Information Hand Book for RTI also requires to be kept separate for
Senior Citizens. All major Associations of Senior Citizens are publishing
monthly magazines/news letters and having Web Sites and as such recognizing
them and sending circulars etc to them will result in the information reaching
to many Senior Citizens. It may also be examined whether Nodal Ministry
can provide these Associations direct access to Web Site of Nodal
Ministry-Senior Citizens Portal by providing them Hard Ware, Soft Ware,
Training etc, as done by Pension Ministry. It is absolutely necessary that all
such major Associations are immediately recognized by Nodal Ministry and SCOVA
type Negotiating Ministry created immediately. Instructions may please be issued
to all concerned Ministries including Pension Ministry (as these Associations
deal with Pensioners also) to send copies of all matters pertaining to Senior
Citizens. As most of the States/UTs have not constituted State Councils, instructions
may be issued for recognizing State-level Associations and send them all
circulars with facility of representation. Hardly any State/UT bothers about
Senior Citizens and do not celebrate International Day Of Older Persons on 1st
October or International Day of Elder Abuse Awareness Day on 15th
June nor give any awards in appreciation of good services to Society &
Elders to deserving sr citizens. NCOP does not serve any purpose being
non-representative of 12 crore Elders and not meeting regularly, sincerely and
seriously.
4.
Even after 13 years of
formation of the Policy for overall upliftment of Senior Citizens in paras 20,
21,31, 55, 78, 79 etc, nothing is done for their proper utilization. As
older persons constitute an ever-increasing proportion of the total population,
they have the potential to become more influential politically, economically and
socially. Fulfilling this potential would be in line with the objectives of the
Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing also, which are to ensure that
people can age with security and dignity and continue to participate fully in
their societies as citizens with full rights. Older persons should be afforded the possibility of
becoming more actively engaged in the development process so that their skills,
experiences, wisdom and knowledge can be put to use in society for the benefit
of all.First and Foremost Abuse of Elders in our Country is
Non-utilization of Senior Citizens!! A person retires from service at 60
compulsorily and has nothing to do. He rests and does not remain active,
resulting in deteriorating health & connected problems! He abuses
himself!! He develops inertia of doing
nothing; he does not participate in any functions, does not go to any Associations,
and develops inertia in many respects. They are not welcome in their houses.
They have no respect in family or society! They just kill their time sitting on
roads, watching passing vehicles & people!! Just as employment guarantee is
provided to rural population by enacting Rural Employment Guarantee Act
(NREGA), Bharat Nirman and Nine Flagship Schemes etc, Senior Citizens in Urban
areas should be provided with social security and ample avenues of employment
by passing suitable Act/ordinance and increasing retirement age etc. Ministries
concerned may please be advised to create avenues of utilization and provide
other reliefs laid down in NPOP,99 and the Madrid International Plan of
Action on Ageing.
5.
One third of Senior Citizens are Below Poverty
Line and another one third little above but with lower income and thus two
third is in fragile financial position as brought out in para 24 of the Policy.
Even Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension is a meager amount of Rs 200 from
Central Government for a Senior Citizen belonging to BPL Family of 5 persons,
which is a mockery of human being. Even the procedure of classifying as BPL is
very complicated and requires to be simplified. The amount of Pension should be
increased considerably and eligibility for being classified should be
simplified, keeping in view the recent agitation by Pension Parishad, the
Country’s GDP and Average National Income etc and Abuse of poor elders reduced.
Special instructions should be issued for providing Daily Care Centers, Multi
Service Centers by the Municipalities-Panchayats and Corporate Sectors for
enabling Senior Citizens to stop their own Abuse and pass their time actively
and usefully. We request our very capable Guardian Secretary to give serious
thought to this pitiable position and problem and create sufficient avenues for
utilization of this large Think-Tank of the Country, increase the amount of IGNOAPension
of Rs 200 and provide Day Care Centres etc with targets.
6.
For various purposes
to provide relief to senior citizens of the Country, Finance Ministry was to
create a Welfare Fund as per provisions in National Policy for Older Persons,99
(NPOP,99) but this has not been done, as no proposal was sent to them by Nodal
Ministry, as advised by them. There are many provisions like paras 24, 25, 27,
59 to 64, 68 to 98 in which Nodal Ministry has not issued any instructions to
the concerned Stake Holders like NGOs, Trade Unions, Trusts, Media
etc and this has resulted in disadvantage to Elders. Kindly, get action on all
provisions very early.
7.
Review Committee had
given revised policy on 30-3-11 and it is more than 15 MONTHS, it is lying with
Nodal Ministry. Kindly, look in to this sorry state of affairs in Nodal
Ministry and streamline its working for Welfare of your 12 crore Elders at an
early date.
Thanking
You,
Yours
Sincerely,
(M.V.Ruparelia)
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