The “India Ageing Report 2023: Caring for Our Elders:
Institutional Responses,” published by the
International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) and the United Nations
Population Fund (UNFPA), is a reminder for the government and society not to
forget the senior citizens of the country while seeking to reap the demographic
dividend. The report presents a fact sheet on the vulnerabilities of senior
citizens, which, if left unaddressed for lack of adequate planning and resource
allocation, will only aggravate. The share of older people, aged 60 years and
above, is projected to double to 20.8% (34.70 crore) from the current share of
10.5%. This calls for policymakers to undertake a comprehensive review of
various schemes and policies to find out if the country is well prepared to
take care of this growing population of its senior citizens and make their
lives comfortable and less vulnerable. It highlights that the United Nations
Principles for Older Persons, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1991,
provide that older persons in society ought to have independence, the ability
to participate in society, access to care, the full dignity of life, and
entitlement to self-fulfilment, among other rights. The report attributes
population ageing to three key demographic changes: declining fertility, a
reduction in mortality, and increasing survival at older ages. Data on ageing
in India also presents another demographic paradox: a steady increase in the
sex ratio in the elderly population, with women outnumbering men, when in the
general population, men outnumber women. “Incidence of widowhood and higher
life expectancy among older women are key demographic characteristics in India.
Elderly widowed women are often alone with little support and also experience a
greater incidence of morbidities that are functionally restricting,” the report
states while laying emphasis on the importance of a gender-specific approach in
undertaking welfare plans and programmes targeting senior citizens. Some of the
key trends in ageing in the country flagged in the report warrant the urgent
attention of the government, NGOs, and other stakeholders in society to plan in
advance to address issues affecting the older population. During 2000–2022, the
total population of the country grew by 34 percent, while the population of 60+
years grew by 103 percent. The population growth of older persons aged 80+
years has been even higher at 128 percent during the same period. Projections
indicate that during 2022–2050, the overall population of India will grow by 18
percent only, while the older population will grow by 134 percent. During the
same period, the population of persons aged 80+ years will grow by 279 percent,
with a predominance of widowed and highly dependent very old women, according
to UNFPA and IIPS findings. The study also puts the spotlight on a specific
problem: how the disintegration of families has made senior citizens more
vulnerable, with a large number of them being left to live alone without
support from their families. The report states that the disintegration of
families started in the last few decades and has become a prominent phenomenon
as the younger generation is migrating to urban areas for employment and better
economic achievements. The consequence of this development, as explained in the
report, is that while the majority of the elderly are still living with their
adult children in India, about one-fifth either live alone or only with their
spouse, and hence must manage their material and physical needs on their own.
The responsibility of taking care of older people cannot be left to the
government or the NGOs running old-age homes and other welfare schemes and
programmes. The primary responsibility must lie with society to ensure that
older citizens are not left vulnerable without financial and other support.
While unit family structure and migration of young members to faraway places
for jobs and livelihood are realities that cannot be ignored, the sense of
responsibility needs to be imbibed in children that they need to take care of
their parents in their old age to make their lives comfortable and free from
worries of living alone and managing on their own. The Longitudinal Ageing
Study in India (LASI) datasets highlighted in the report put in perspective the
vulnerabilities and whether they had been adequately addressed in the policy
framework for institutional response. It shows that low participation in the
formal economy restricts access to fixed pensions, increases economic
insecurity, and indicates that around 33 percent of the older females have
never worked and do not have any income, which reflects the enormity of the
situation. The central and state governments have initiated a slew of social
security and welfare measures to address the problem of senior citizens, but
the steady increase in the elderly population has outpaced the increase in resource
allocations. The government and society, however, cannot turn a blind eye to
the new realities and need to act together to address the issues.