Sr.Citizens and their problems

Any serving personnel will have to quiet the service after retirement and their income becomes half or 1/3 or some people have pension at all. But their lifestyle they lived for 30 years, they cannot forsaken many essential for their modest needs, after retirement, In fact their commitments have become 3 or 4 fold without any adequate resources. Even any terminal benefits they got in the form of Gratuity etc are looted by their sons/daughters or other close relatives within a period 1 or 2 years and the old people are left in lurch. In some cases, their pension book (PPO) are being snatched and kept at the custody of person who feed the Sr.Citizen.Even persons who held good status before retirement, are now ill treated by their grown up children.Sometimes they are thrown out of their house or made a refuge in their own house. Their physical ability and mental
inability have awfully gone down and require some body help to carry out their day to day work. Their monthly expenditure for maintenance has been blown up to great extent with very meagre income. Moreover, their very meagre savings in banks and Post offices have been eroded by increasing cost of living.The old people have to maintain their lifetime saved house and for this and to maintain themselves, and the house they constructed long back,. As the Old people have to be depended on others they have to spend extra amount in the form of charges, compulsory tips, etc., over and above normal fees. Thus, even a layman can understand the predicament of Sr.Citizens in India. They badly require relief from GOI in the the form of special I.T. exemptions, higher Interest Rates for savings, for Old citizens who have completed 65 years (who also paid taxes sincerely for the past 30 years). The Act "Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Sr.Citizens Act,2007" needs to be re-examined and made more practical and enough teeth to bite those wards who discard their old parents , as the present Act is only a PAPER TIGER and has no teeth to bite. Only Those who dare to complaint against their sons etc alone could some relief after long battle of court procedure. Hence, even if any third party complaint should be take in to cognizance by local Police and pursue action against such sons etc.In fact out of fear of present neglect(either directly or indirectly) or future neglect when old parents fall bedridden, these old parents do not directly go and complaint. Many do not know to whom this should be complained, and where. Hence full and explicit awareness should be made both to old parents and to younger generations who are bound to take care their parent, about the Act contents in nutshell through Press media, TV., Public Forum, etc. The police should periodically visit house Sr.citizens live, and enquire about their grievances.Such things alone will mitigate the sufferings of old parents to some extent. more