Law for looking after elderly parents on the anvil: Meera Kumar

Kangra, May 27 (UNI) The Central Government is considering a proposal to enact a law to make it mandatory for children to look after their elderly parents, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Meera Kumar today said.

''Children who fail to look after their parents will have no right over their ancestral property. Himachal has been a guiding force on the issue,'' she said while talking to reporters here.

Ms Kumar said the government has also decided to construct an old age home in every district headquarters of the country to provide the elderly people, who had been neglected by their children, a comfortable stay there.

AICC president Sonia Gandhi by declining the post of the Prime Ministership and resigning from her Lok Sabha membership after allegations of holding office of profit had set an excellent example of issue based politics in the country, she said.

Replying to a question on her stand on the reservation issue, she said the Central Government's stand on the issue was also her stand.

The Union Minister lauded the achievements of the UPA Government during the last two years and said the country had for the first time achieved a growth rate of eight per cent under his leadership.

Social uplift of the poor was a priority with the UPA Government and 40 per cent of the Central Budget was being spent for the downtrodden and economically weaker sections of the society.

UNI XC AS PS MSJ BST2158