Regional Resource and Training Centres for Senior Citizens – Government’s Comprehensive Approach for Welfare

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION N0.347
TO BE ANSWERED ON 22.07.2025

REGIONAL RESOURCE AND TRAINING CENTRES FOR SENIOR CITIZENS

347. SHRI RAJA A:

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

(a) whether the Government is framing any national policy on senior citizens, keeping in view 20% of total population by 2047 will be senior citizens, if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether any new Regional Resource and Training Centres (RRTC) likely be set up under Integrated Programme for senior citizens, Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana in the country, if so, the details thereof;

(c) the total number of RRTCs in the country and their location; and

(d) the details of concessions and facilities that are available to senior citizens in the country and whether any awareness campaign launched for the benefit of senior citizens and if so, the details thereof?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
(SHRI B.L.VERMA)

(a): The present National Policy on Older Persons envisages State support to ensure financial and food security, health care, shelter, protection and other needs of older persons to improve quality of their lives.

(b) to (c): There are 11 Regional Resource Training Centres(RRTCs) functioning under Atal Vayo Abhudaya Yojana(AVYAY) which act as key nodal agency on aged care under overall direction and supervision of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, providing overall technical support and inputs on senior citizens programs in their assigned States allocated by the Ministry. List of RRTCs and their location is at Annexure- I

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(d): Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is implementing an umbrella scheme namely, Atal Vayo Abhyudaya Yojana (AVYAY). The scheme has following components:-

i.                        Integrated Programme for Senior Citizen(IPSrC) – Grant in aid is provided to Non­ Governmental/ Voluntary Organisations for running and maintenance of senior citizen homes (old age homes), continuous care homes, etc. Facilities like shelter, nutrition, medicare and entertainments are provided free of cost to indigent senior citizens

ii.            State Action Plan for Senior Citizen(SAPSrC)– Under State Action Plan for Senior Citizens (SAPSrC), the Government of India perceives a major and critical role of all State Governments in partnering and implementing the Action Plan for welfare of senior citizens. Grant in aid is provided to States/ UTs for activities like awareness generation, sensitization, cataract surgeries and State specific activities.

iii.            Elderline – The National Helpline for Sr Citizens is to generate awareness about the Act, schemes and programmes being executed by different Central & State Governments and to provide platform to redress grievances of Sr Citizens across the country.

iv.            Rastriya Vayoshri Yojana(RVY)– The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is implementing the scheme of ‘Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (RVY)’ with an objective to provide senior citizens, belonging to BPL category or the senior citizen with the monthly income not more than Rs. 15000/- and suffering from age related disabilities/ infirmities, with such physical aids and assisted living devices which can restore near normalcy in their bodily functions. The scheme was launched on 01.04.2017. The Scheme is implemented through the ‘Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation (ALIMCO)’, (a Central Public Sector Undertaking) as the sole implementing agency.

v.            Senior care Ageing Growth Engine(SAGE) – to promote out-of- 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. The selection of the start-ups would be made through a transparent process and the fund would be provided as equity, subject to the Govt investment not exceeding 49% of the total equity of the Firm.

vi.            Training of Geriatric Care Givers– 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.

vii.            Other Initiatives for Senior Citizens: In order to solve the problems of healthy and productive ageing, several initiatives are being done across the country. The initiatives are aimed at involving the elders in building up knowledge which can be useful for the society as a whole.

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Further, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has notified The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens (MWPSC) Act, 2007 to ensure need based maintenance for parents and senior citizens and their welfare. The Act provides for Maintenance of Parents/ senior citizens by children/ relatives made obligatory and justiciable through Tribunals, Revocation of transfer of property by senior citizens in case of neglect by relatives, Penal provision for abandonment of senior citizens, Establishment of Old Age Homes for Indigent Senior Citizens, Adequate medical facilities and security for Senior Citizens.

To create awareness, information is made available on the website of the Ministry, e-Anudaan portal, Social Media and dissemination through the State Governments. Further, Regional Resource Training Centres (RRTCs) conduct workshops and capacity building programs to generate awareness about various measures being taken by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for welfare of senior citizens. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment celebrates the International Day of Older Persons on 1st October every year to generate awareness across the country about the importance and needs of the senior citizens.

1. Ministry of Rural Development: Ministry of Rural Development is running Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS) under National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) under which monthly pension at the rate of Rs.200/-per month is being paid to old age persons in the age group of 60 to 79 years belonging to Below Poverty Line (BPL) households. The amount of pension is increased to Rs.500/- per month in respect of these beneficiaries on reaching the age of 80 years and above.

The States/UTs are however, encouraged to provide top-ups over and above the central assistance under the NSAP pension schemes. Presently, these amounts range from Rs.50 to Rs.3800 per month per beneficiary under old age pension. As a result, old age beneficiaries are getting, on an average, monthly pension of Rs. I 000 in several States/UTs.

NSAP guidelines stipulate to ensure wide and continuous publicity about the entitlements under the schemes of NSAP and the procedure for claiming them through posters, brochures, media and other means.

2. Ministry of Railways: The following facilities have been extended from time to time to Senior citizens:

i.                        In the computerized Passenger Reservation System (PRS) there is a provision to allot lower berths to Senior Citizens, Female passengers of 45 years and above automatically, even if no choice is given, subject to availability of accommodation at the time of booking.

ii.            A combined quota of six to seven lower berths per coach in Sleeper class, four to five lower berths per coach each in Air Conditioned 3 tier (3AC) and three to four lower berths per coach in Air Conditioned 2 tier (2AC) classes (depending on the number of coaches of that class in the train) has been earmarked for senior citizens, female passengers 45 years of age and above and pregnant women.

iii.            Instructions have been issued for earmarking a minimum of 07 seats for senior citizens in 1st and last 2nd class general compartment for entire period of local train services on suburban sections of all zonal Railways.

iv.            Wheelchairs are provided by Railways and given to attendants of the Divyangjans, old aged passengers etc absolutely free of cost to escort them from and to the trains.

v.            Battery Operated Vehicles (BOVs) are provided at major railway stations to passengers on ‘first come first served’ basis with due preference to Divyangjans, Senior Citizens, Sick passengers and Pregnant women. This facility is provided ‘free of cost’ through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and commercial publicity route as well as on chargeable basis.

vi.            After departure of the train, if there are vacant lower berths available in the train and if any person with disability booked on the authority of handicapped concession or a senior citizen or a pregnant woman, who has been allotted upper/middle berth, approaches for allotment of vacant lower berths, the on-board Ticket Checking Staff has been authorized to allot the vacant lower berth to them making necessary entries in the chart.

vii.            Separate counters are earmarked at various Passenger Reservation System (PRS) centers for dealing with the reservation requisitions received from ladies, persons with disability, Senior Citizens, Ex. MPs, MLAS, accredited journalists and freedom fighters, if the average demand per shift not less than 120 tickets. In case there is no justification for earmarking of an exclusive counter for any of these categories of persons including ladies, persons with disability or senior citizens, one or two counters depending upon the total demand are earmarked for dealing with the reservation requests for all these categories of persons.

3. Ministry of Health & Family Welfare: The Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) has provisioned for health cover of Rs. 5 lakhs per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization with a target of approximately 55 Cr beneficiaries corresponding to 12.37 Crore families constituting the bottom 40% of India’s population. On 29th October 2024, the Government expanded Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana to provide free treatment benefits of up to 5 lakh per year to all senior citizens aged 70 years and above, irrespective of their socio-economic status.

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Further, the Ministry of Health & Family welfare had launched the “National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly” (NPHCE) during 2010-11 to address various health related problems of elderly people. The objectives of NPHCE is to provide accessible, affordable, and high­ quality long-term, comprehensive and dedicated care services to the elderly population. The relevant components of the program are:

a) 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.

b) 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.

Packages 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.

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b) Special attention to home bound I 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 managed by trained staff and rehabilitation worker at CHCs.

b) Domiciliary visits by the rehabilitation worker will be undertaken for bed-ridden elderly and counselling to family members for care such Patients.

District Hospitals:

a) Dedicated Geriatric OPD services, In-door admissions through 10 bedded geriatric ward, laboratory investigations and rehabilitation services.

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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. National center for 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 all sub-specialties of Geriatric Medicine

f) Developing evidence based treatment protocols for Geriatric diseases prevalent in the country.

4. Legislative Department, Ministry of Law & Justice: Rule 18(a)(v) read with Rule 27A(aa) of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 entitles Senior Citizens above 85 years of age to cast their vote by post.

5. Ministry of Home Affairs: Ministry of Home Affairs has issued a number of Advisories to the State Government and UT Administrations for protection of life, property, safety and security of Senior Citizens.