Some notes on 10th Annual AISCCON CONFERENCE

Some Salient points about Tenth Annual Conference of All India Senior Citizens Confederation (AISCCON)  held at Mathura, UP from 21^st to 24^th October 2010

 

The tenth Annual Conference of All India Senior Citizens Confederation (AISCCON) held in collaboration with the Senior Citizens Welfare Association, Mathura and which recently concluded at Brindaban, UP , was a phenomenal success in many ways.

 

The All India Senior Citizens Confederation (AISCCON) is the largest national organization with a membership base of 7 lakh members from different states and union territories in India. It is head quartered in Navi Mumbai. It is actively engaged in various welfare activities for Senior Citizens and advocacy with authorities on their concerns and problems.

 

 It has been organizing regularly for the past ten years (since 2001) an annual conference on various themes concerning older persons with a participation of more than 700 to 800 delegates from all over India. This time more than 1400 delegates from every nook and corner of India gathered to discuss problems faced by Senior Citizens, especially women. HelpAge and Department of Science and Technology partly sponsored the event. Very popular MLA from Mathura, Sri Pradeep Mathur, was a pillar of great support.

 

Dignitaries who graced the Conference included: Sri BL Joshi, Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Sri Bhupendra Singh Huda Chief Minister of Haryana, Sri Pradeep Jain, Minister of State, Rural Development, GOI, and Sri Sabarwal, President Emeritus of HelpAge India. Sri Napolean, Minister of State, Social Justice and Empowerment, who had confirmed his participation, could not make it at the last moment. Well known for his sympathy towards senior citizens in Haryana, Sri Huda promised a donation of Rs 10 lakhs to the All India Senior Citizens' Confederation [AISCCON]. Sri Mathur, MLA, was with us throughout the confeference.

 

Several resolutions were passed during this historic meet on important issues like: Implementation of National Policy on Older Persons, fully subsidized health insurance for BPL and on graded sharing basis for APL category of older persons, implementation of Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens' Act by all states without further delay, increasing Old Age Pension to Rs 1000 per month from the current Rs 400 per month, concessions in Bus and Train travel, separate Ministry exclusively for Senior Citizens, parity in payment of pension to retirees of Central and State Government and Public Sector undertakings, etc.

 

A very important decision which was taken was to urge the Government to provide subsidized health care to widow senior citizens irrespective of whether they belong to BPL or APL category.  This decision was taken in view of the rampant negligence of the health care of widows. Welfare of older women was the central theme of the conference.

 

Another important resolution was to ask the Government to provide fully subsidized health care to the BPL inmates of Old Age Homes and payment of Old Age Pension to all those who are eligible; in short their wellbeing should be the National responsibility.

 

Immediately after the conference, a delegation led by Sri RN Mital, President of AISCCON and Sri Pradeep Mathur, MLA Mathura, met Smt Sonia Gandhi. Appearing to be fairly well informed of senior citizens' issues and problems, she promised to look into the possibility of setting up a separate Commission for Senior Citizens Welfare. AISCCON had been demanding that a separate Ministry and a Commission to be set up exclusively for Senior Citizens. She was also very positive about affordable health insurance for older people and the implementation of various schemes for the welfare of Senior Citizens.  

 

The delegation also called on the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. 

 

It may not be out of place to mention that the softening of the Central Government towards problems of Senior Citizens is probably the consequence of Senior Citizens National Protest Day observed on August 16^th all over India and that was widely covered by the press and electronic media.

 

 

This Note has been jointly written by Sri RN Mital and Dr P Vyasamoorthy

Comments and discussions on OAH

Sss-global discussions on the blog post How many OAHs are the in India?

I am presenting below the discussions on the above post for wider circulation here, as a separate post. Contributors are: Prof PV Ramamurti, Shankar Rao Chepuri, Badrinarayana Miriyala, Suryanarayana Ambadipudi, RN Mital and of course yours faithfully.

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Dear Dr Vyasamoorthy

That is a wonderful job

However we can never know the exact list of old age homes for many of them are not registered or even notified to the Ministry unless they seek assistance from them

I tried to do this and even suggested that the ministry mandate that any body wanting to open a residential home or day care center should register with a notified authority and pay a nominal fees, bu t of no avail and hence we cannot know the exact number or details of these homes and institutions.

Regards

Prof.P.V.Ramamurti Phd,FNA(Psy)

Tirupati.A.P.517502

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This has reference to Prof PV Ramamurti's reply about compulsory registration of old age homes. Tamilnadu Rules under MWPSCA 2007 provide for such registration.

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Sir,

I am not disputing with the data of HelpAge.Your effort is laudable.

There are more than 30 old age homes run by recognised and private agencies in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad ,besides there is atleast one in each of the revenue divisions in the state. on an average there are a minimum of three revenue divisions in 23 districts of A.P.

In all municipal corporation areas like Vizag,Rajahmundry,Vijayawada,Guntur,Tirupathi,

Kadapa,Kurnool,Warangal etc., there are not less two old age homes to my knowledge.

Many NGOs and NRIs are also running old age homes . Now we can make out the figure.

Regards,

A.Suryanarayana

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Thanks for your feedback, suryanayana.

According to your guestimates the number of Old Age Homes in AP works out to 115 and the HelpAge count comes to the same. However, I have another list addresses of some 135 OHHs in Twin cities alone, but many appear to be bogus, set up only to milch govt funds. This list was created by FAPSCO looking into MOSJE records. AP has grabbed maximum grants but is doing very little in this area. Very sad state of affairs. The role of private OAHs and NGOs in AP is mixed and blessed, in my view.

Dr P Vyasamoorthy, 30 Gruhalakshmi Colony Secunderabad 500015 Ph 040-27846631 /

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Sir, should a state have less or more OAHs?They should exist either on charity or on paymentbasis?.I think the govt should come forward to establish Hostels for old people in the way hostels are established for students by SW department .What inference should we draw if a state has less or more OAHs.My little mind thinks that older people or well lookedafter by their sons in a state with less number of OAHs or some thing else?.As for AP is concerned what I think is establishing a oah means getting land allocated from government for less cost.The govt should think that welfare of old people is also a part of socialwelfare activity because older people are also part of society

Badrinarayana Miriyala

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Dear Sri Badrinarayana Miriyala

Thanks for raising many thoughtful questions

There is an imbalance in the availability of old age homes in a state The number and type should match demands, affordability and community. By type I mean whether it is suited (in terms of facilities / infrastructure) for destitute, BPL or APL category. By affordability I mean money charged should not be exploitative and only profit / commerce based but commensurate with services / goods offered. In some communities the senior citizens ar still looked after well and not abandoned - for instance Muslims. Tis culture has changed for the worse in other communities.

For your second point, I tend to believe that government should fund (give grants) for construction of good old age homes and give the maintenance to SCAs or NGOs -- for the second aspect to be effective, there should be certain minimum service and performance standards laid down along with provision for periodical inspection by third parties say SCAs or State level federations or similar accrediting institutions.

Looking at the overall scene, I have a hunch that the number of OAHs is inadequate and more are needed. It is better to have many OAHs with smaller capacities (number of beds) all through the state than maintain one big facility in each district head quarters. MWPSCA mentions talks about one 150-bed OAH in each district without saying anything about budgetary provision for the same. The Act does not make it obligatory on the part of the State govt with respect to this stipulation.

My understanding is that government does not give land for OAH but only grants for building. Charitable trusts have land to spare for such activities. These must be tapped.

Your last sentence: "The govt should think that welfare of old people is also a part of socialwelfare activity because older people are also part of society" was indeed our main thrust when Senior Citizens Protest Day was observed through out the country on 16th August 2010.

Dr P Vyasamoorthy, 30 Gruhalakshmi Colony Secunderabad 500015 Ph 040-27846631 /

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Instead of giving number, it would be better or useful if some body gives names and addresses of old age home.

SHANKAR RAO CHEPURI

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Dear Shankar Rao

Addresses and detailed answers to many questions like: capacity, when established, whether both men and women are allowed, If charges are levied how much, contact particulars, facilities offered, type of food (veg / non veg etc etc are all available in HelpAge Directory of Old Age Homes 2009.This is a 478 pages book. Please buy it and use it, if you constantly look for Old Age Homes or want to help others with this type of information.. I have only culled out data from that publication for wider circulation.

Dr P Vyasamoorthy, 30 Gruhalakshmi Colony Secunderabad 500015 Ph 040-27846631 /

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Dear friends,

The recent exchange of mails on Old Age Homes was very interesting. In view of the importance of the subject a full session will be devoted on it in the forthcoming Conference of AISCCON at Mathura. The following resolution is proposed to be moved in it and if approved, will be followed up with the Authorities [MOSJE].

" The distribution of Old Age Homes in different States is very uneven both number and category wise. It is therefore, demanded that,

a] a detailed survey should be carried out in each State to determine the number and categories of Old Age Home beds which will be required during next few years

b] the minimum facilities which should be provided in each category and the maximum charges, should be laid down

c] the existing Old Age Homes should be inspected and categorized.

d] the working of existing Old Age Homes should be monitored at least once in six months by a Joint Committee in each District consisting of representatives of Senior Citizens and the District Administration. The annual grant, if any, should depend on the report of this Committee."

Comments are invited.

In fact AISCCON is very much concerned about the working of Old Age Homes particularly those catering to BPL inmates. That is why through another resolution we have demanded that all BPL inmates should be covered by State subsidised health insurance, including those who are terminally ill. Moreover, those who are eligible must be paid Old Age Pension. We have also demanded that their well-being should be the National Responsibility.

Warm regards,

R.N.Mital

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(All the points above have been taken for discussion in AISCCON NATIONAL CONFERENCE at Mathura -- Vyasamoorthy)