Mukul Wasnik asks senior citizens to exert their rights

New Delhi, Oct 22 (ANI): Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Mukul Wasnik, urged the senior citizens to exert their rights for a due place in the society, as the elderly population is on the rise and will soon be of considerable percentage of the total population.

Inaugurating a Multi Activity Programme Reinventing Retirement through Active Ageing, organized by National Institute of Social Defence, here on Thursday Wasnik informed that the elderly population in India which was 7.7 crore, as per Census 2001, is projected to be around 9.5 crore in 2011.

He added that the proportion of elderly in the total population has been increasing throughout the globe. In India, it is projected to further go up to 17.3 crore in 2026.

Wasnik said the rise in the share of elderly in total population poses multiple challenges, with great opportunities, like for the younger generation, who can utilize the vast repository of knowledge that our elderly possess.

Simultaneously, our senior citizens too have to think of ways to creatively and usefully occupy themselves, he added.

"The enactment of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 has been a major milestone to provide for maintenance, shelter, health and security of senior citizens in the country," Wasnik said.

The minister asked the youth to come forward to celebrate such events as there is a need for in depth sensitivity to reach elderly in order to give them their due respect and sense of connectivity and also urged different organisations that such kind of events should also be celebrated at State and district levels so that all can participate. (ANI)