New Delhi: Elderly people living alone in their homes would soon be getting basic care with the Centre working on a scheme for providing such facility.
In oral reply to a question from Rajya Sabha member Husain Dalwai, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawar Chand Gehlot said that the scheme would be implemented with the help from non-government organisations (NGOs).
“We are going to bring a new law. Under this, it will be ensured that senior citizens living alone at home get day care facilities. They would be provided with newspapers, breakfast, lunch and other recreational facilities,” Gehlot said in the Rajya Sabha.
“Additional, a scheme is being worked out for providing certain care and facilities at their home with the help of NGOs,” he added.
While asking questions on the facilities provided by the government for the elderly, Rajya Sabha member Dalwai said that 64 per cent of senior citizens live in cities and many of them are lonely, and as a result, they suffer from depression.
