SOCIAL SECURITY PROGRAMS THROUGH DECENTRALIZED GOVERNANCE FOR THE ELDERLY IN INDIA

Abstract

Population ageing is a global phenomenon. With time, every country in the world is experiencing growth in the size and proportion of older persons in their population. Population ageing is an inevitable demographic reality associated with improvements in the health and medical care system. To mitigate the ill effects of an ageing population, appropriate social and economic policies need to be made. For society to adapt to the ageing of the older population and vice versa social policies for the elderly should be critically examined and suitable redesigning is required. The major problems faced by the elderly are a lack of economic provisions, poor health conditions, lack of emotional support, and illness in the post-retirement period. The problems of inadequate income after retirement, loss of a spouse or ample free time, poor health, social isolation, family relationships physical and financial dependency etc, all these situations are interrelated or interdependent. Today, the traditional Indian joint family system is breaking down and more families are becoming nuclear. The paper discusses various social security measures for old age allocated by the Centre and the States for the elderly in India, implemented through Panchayat Raj Institution in the rural realm of the country. It also critically studies the role of local governance in handling the elderly issues at the rural level.