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What's the article about?
- It talks about the key findings of the India Ageing Report 2023 of the United Nations Population Fund.
Relevance:
- GS1: Population and related issues
- Prelims
Context:
- The United Nations Population Fund's India Ageing Report 2023 highlights the growing elderly population in India and its implications for health, economy, and society.
- The report predicts that the population above 60 years will double from 10.5% or 14.9 crore (as on July 1, 2022) to 20.8% or 34.7 crore by 2050.
- This article analyzes the report's findings and implications for India.
Analysis:
- Implications for Health, Economy, and Society:
- With one in five individuals set to be a senior citizen, there will be implications for health, economy, and society.
- In Kerala and West Bengal, for instance, there is a growing population of the elderly who live alone as children migrate for better opportunities.
- With life expectancy increasing and decreasing fertility rates in many countries, including India, there are challenges in nurturing an expanding elderly population.
- Inter-State Variations:
- There are significant inter-State variations in the elderly population. Most States in the south reported a higher share of the elderly population than the national average in 2021, a gap that is expected to widen by 2036.
- While States with higher fertility rates, such as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, expect to see an increase in the share of the elderly population too by 2036, the level will remain lower than the Indian average.
- Challenges Faced by Elderly:
- Overall, more than two-fifths of the elderly are in the poorest wealth quintile, ranging from 5% in Punjab to 47% in Chhattisgarh.
- Also, 18.7% of the elderly do not have any income. A high proportion of the rural population is among the elderly and often economically deprived.
- To meet the challenges, physical and mental health, basic needs of food and shelter, income security, and social care, a ‘whole-of-society’ approach is required.
- Geriatric Care:
- Geriatric care must be fine-tuned to their unique health-care needs.
- There are several schemes targeting the elderly, but many are unaware of them or find it too cumbersome to sign up.
- The National Policy on Older Persons, 1999, and the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, lay down the care of the elderly, but to ensure that senior citizens live in dignity, public and private policies must provide a more supportive environment.
Way Forward:
- The India Ageing Report 2023 highlights the growing elderly population in India and its implications for health, economy, and society.
- The report emphasizes the need for a ‘whole-of-society’ approach to meet the challenges faced by the elderly.
- Geriatric care must be fine-tuned to their unique health-care needs, and public and private policies must provide a more supportive environment to ensure that senior citizens live in dignity.
