Grievances of Aged People

There are four Commissions, five Public Sector Corporations and three Statutory bodies working under the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment. The list is given at Annexure

Annexure

Referred to in reply to part (a) of Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1396, raised by Smt Sarojini Hembram, M.P. regarding Grievances of aged people.

List of Commissions, Corporations and other Statutory Bodies working under the Ministy of Social Justice and Empowerment:

Commissions;

1.      National Commission for Scheduled Castes;

2.      National Commission for Safai Karamcharis;

3.      National Commission for Backward Classes;

4.      National Commission for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes.

Corporations:

1.      National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation;

2.      National Safai Karamchari Finance and Development Corporation;

3.      National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation;

4.      National Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation;

5.      Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India;

Other Statutory Bodies:

1.      Rehabilitation Council of India;

2.      Office of the Chief Commission for Persons with Disabilities;

3.      National Trust for the Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities.

There is no proposal under consideration of the Government for giving additional powers to these bodies for addressing the grievances of senior citizens. However, the National Institute for Social Defence (NISD), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is working with the objective of strengthening and providing technical inputs to the social defence programmes of the Government and to develop and train the manpower resources required in the field of social defence. The Institute is mainly involved in conducting training programmes pertaining to care for senior citizens, and also on prevention of drug abuse and other social defence issues. Besides, the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, was enacted for ensuring 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 negligence 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 and Protection of life and property. The Act is brought into force by individual State Governments and has been notified by all State and Union Territories except Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh who have their own Acts for senior citizens.

This information was given by the Minister of State, Social Justice & Empowerment, Shri Vijay Sampla in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha here today.

Courtesy: pib.nic.in