Call for Reinstating Railway Concessions for Senior Citizens: Seth

Udaipur: The two-day national conference of the All India Senior Citizens Confederation, organized by the Maharana Pratap Senior Citizens Institute, Udaipur, concluded at the Vivekananda Auditorium of MLSU University. The conference passed a 16-point resolution addressing the demands of senior citizens.

Honorary Secretary of Maharana Pratap Senior Citizens Institute, Bhanwar Seth, stated that the second day of the 22nd national convention featured six sessions, presided over by V.K. Bhadane and attended by dignitaries such as Madan Khatoḍ, D.N. Chapke, T.P.R. Unni, M.K. Raina, Dr. Sulabha Devidas, P. Vishwanatham, Nandlal Agrawal, and Damodar Mudafare. Various speakers presented their views on issues concerning senior citizens.

A 16-point charter of demands was unanimously adopted, with 1,500 attendees raising their hands and applauding in support. Seth highlighted key demands, including the reinstatement of railway concessions discontinued during the COVID-19 period, the establishment of national and state-level senior citizen commissions, the inclusion of senior care in educational curricula, and the mandatory responsibility of employees to care for their parents.

Further, amendments were sought in the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, at the district level. Other demands included signing a collective petition at UNHR for senior citizens’ rights, reducing or eliminating the 18% GST on elderly care services, offering at least 2% higher interest rates for senior citizen deposits in banks and post offices, raising the retirement age, increasing old-age pensions to at least ₹10,000, and issuing government identity cards for all senior citizens. The conference also called for recognition of the All India Senior Citizens Confederation as a national body and for incorporating elder care in the Companies Act under Schedule 7, Section 135.

During the first session, senior women leader Sushma Singhvi emphasized that senior citizens should remain active and engaged in sharing their knowledge and skills. Dr. Gayatri Tiwari highlighted gender concerns, advocating for women to prioritize their well-being. Committee Chairperson for Art & Culture also shared insights. The session was moderated by Dr. Sulabha Kanwar and conducted by Yamla Sahu.

In the second session, legal and judicial rights of senior citizens were discussed, led by Dr. Kalpesh Nikavat, featuring insights from M.K. Raina, P. Ramchandreya, S. Hanifa Rawthar, and Bhagwant Kaur. Chief Speaker, Commercial Court District Judge Mahendra Kumar Dave, stressed the need to include "security rights" in the definition of maintenance and suggested adding Section 22A to the 2007 Act to strengthen protections for senior citizens.

The open session, chaired by V.K. Bhadane and Narayan Murthy, featured contributions from Karanail Singh, Vijay Deshmukh, Dr. Milind Sardar, Dr. Pradeep Kumar Sinha, Malti Jaiswal, Mahendra Kumar Gupta, K.K. Birla, Suresh Gavas, G.P. Sheikh, Ashok Terkar, and Dr. Indu Subhash. The convention also honored outstanding activists, organizations, and publications.

Dr. Indu Subhash raised concern over the alarming statistic that 59% of elderly suicides occur in India, emphasizing the urgent need for societal and governmental support.