GS Notes

22. Social Justice Notes 02

23 min read

Elaborate Notes

CHILD ISSUES

  • Definition of Child: The definition of a ‘child’ is not uniform across Indian legislation, reflecting the specific objectives of each law. This variance can create legal and administrative complexities.

    • The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986: Defines a child as any person who has not completed their fourteenth year of age. The primary focus is on preventing the employment of young children in specified occupations and processes. The 2016 amendment further prohibited the employment of adolescents (14-18 years) in hazardous occupations.
    • The Factories Act, 1948: Defines a child as a person who has not completed their fifteenth year of age. This act regulates health, safety, and welfare standards in factories and prohibits the employment of children below 14.
    • The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015: Originally, under the 2000 Act, a child was defined as a person below 18 years. The summary’s mention of 16 years likely refers to older versions or debates preceding the current act. The 2015 Act uniformly defines a ‘child’ as a person who has not completed eighteen years of age. However, it introduced a special provision allowing for juveniles between 16 and 18 years, involved in heinous crimes, to be tried as adults after a preliminary assessment by the Juvenile Justice Board.
    • Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012: Unambiguously defines a child as any person below eighteen years of age. This comprehensive law provides a robust legal framework for protecting children from sexual abuse, exploitation, and pornography, with gender-neutral provisions.
    • United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), 1989: An international human rights treaty, ratified by India in 1992, which defines a child as every human being below the age of eighteen years unless, under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier. This has become the internationally accepted standard.

  • Rights of the Child: The UNCRC framework is built upon four core principles or ‘baskets of rights’.

    • Right to Survival: This includes the right to life and the basic needs for a healthy existence, such as adequate nutrition, shelter, and access to quality healthcare services.
    • Right to Development: This encompasses all that a child needs to reach their full potential, including the right to education, play and leisure, cultural activities, access to information, and freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.
    • Right to Protection: This ensures children are safeguarded from all forms of abuse, neglect, exploitation, and cruelty. This includes protection from child labour, sexual abuse, trafficking, and involvement in armed conflict.
    • Right to Participation: This asserts the right of children to express their views freely in all matters affecting them and to have those views given due weight in accordance with their age and maturity. This fosters their active involvement in society.

  • National Policy for Children (2013): This policy, replacing the earlier 1974 policy, realigned India’s framework with the principles of the UNCRC.

    • It affirms that any person below the age of 18 years is a child (correcting the summary’s note).
    • It recognizes childhood as an integral part of life with a value of its own and emphasizes that a long-term, multi-sectoral, integrated approach is necessary for the overall development of children.

  • National Plan of Action for Children (NPAC), 2016: Issued by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD), this is the implementation framework for the 2013 Policy.

    • Survival: Focuses on reducing Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) through initiatives like Mission Indradhanush for universal immunisation, strengthening Maternal and Child Health (MCH) services under the National Health Mission, and ensuring universal access to pre-natal, peri-natal, and post-natal care.
    • Development: Aims to expand the scope of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009. The National Education Policy 2020 has now formally brought pre-school education (ages 3-6) under the ambit of formal schooling, aligning with this goal.
    • Protection: Seeks to create a ‘child-friendly’ protective environment. This involves strengthening institutions like Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) and Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs), and promoting a “Zero Tolerance” policy for violence against children through effective implementation of acts like POCSO.
    • Participation: Promotes platforms for children’s voices to be heard. An example is the Bal Panchayat (Children’s Parliament), known as Makkala Grama Sabhas in Karnataka, where children collectively raise and address local issues such as the lack of school toilets, instances of child labour, or child marriage.
    • The National Coordination and Action Group (NCAG), established under the MoWCD, is the apex body tasked with coordinating, monitoring, and ensuring the implementation of the NPAC across various ministries and states.

  • Data on Child Abuse:

    • National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB): The data highlighting that 36% of all crimes against children are registered under the POCSO Act indicates the high prevalence of child sexual abuse.
    • Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) Study (2007): This landmark study on Child Abuse revealed that 53% of children had experienced one or more forms of sexual abuse. A critical finding was that in over 90% of cases, the abuser was a person known to the child (family, neighbour, etc.), challenging the ‘stranger-danger’ myth. The study also highlighted severe under-reporting, with only about 6% of cases being reported to authorities.

CHILD LABOUR

  • Concept: The International Labour Organization (ILO) provides a nuanced definition, distinguishing child labour from ‘child work’. Child labour is work that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children; and interferes with their schooling by depriving them of the opportunity to attend school; obliging them to leave school prematurely; or requiring them to attempt to combine school attendance with excessively long and heavy work.

  • Statistics:

    • Census of India 2011: Reported 10.1 million child labourers in the age group of 5-14 years.
    • Globally, India accounts for a significant proportion of child labour. The summary figure of 7.3% may refer to a specific metric or report.
    • The problem is predominantly rural, with approximately 80% of child labourers engaged in agriculture and allied activities.
    • The states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh have the highest number of child labourers, reflecting regional disparities in poverty and development.
    • A concerning statistic is that 62.8% of these children are engaged in hazardous work, which poses a direct threat to their health, safety, and moral development.

  • Efforts against Child Labour:

    • Constitutional Provisions:
      • Article 24: Prohibits the employment of children below the age of 14 years in any factory, mine, or other hazardous employment.
      • Article 23: Prohibits traffic in human beings and forced labour.
      • Article 39(e): A Directive Principle that directs the State to ensure that the health and strength of workers, men and women, and the tender age of children are not abused.
    • Statutory Provisions:
      • The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, amended in 2016, now imposes a complete ban on the employment of children below 14 years in all occupations and processes. It also prohibits the employment of adolescents (14-18 years) in hazardous occupations.
    • Government Schemes and Policies:
      • National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme: A rehabilitative scheme that aims to withdraw children from work and mainstream them into formal education through special training centers.
      • PENCIL (Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour) Portal: An electronic platform launched in 2017 to ensure effective enforcement of child labour laws and smooth implementation of the NCLP Scheme. It connects various stakeholders like the central government, state governments, districts, and civil society.
    • International Conventions:
      • India has ratified two core ILO Conventions concerning the elimination of child labour:
        • Convention 138 (Minimum Age Convention, 1973): Obliges ratifying states to specify a minimum age for admission to employment.
        • Convention 182 (Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999): Requires immediate and effective measures to secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour as a matter of urgency.

  • Causes of Child Labour:

    • Push Factors (Factors forcing children into labour):
      • Poverty: The most significant driver. Families in poverty often rely on children’s income for survival.
      • Unemployment of Parents: Lack of stable income for adults pushes children to become earning members.
      • High Fertility Rate: Large family sizes strain household resources, often leading to older children dropping out of school to work.
    • Pull Factors (Factors creating demand for child labour):
      • Cheap Labour: Employers prefer children as they can be paid significantly less than adults.
      • Low Bargaining Power: Children are docile, cannot form unions, and are unable to protest against exploitation.
      • Easy to Hire and Fire: They are part of the unorganized sector with no legal protections or formal contracts.

  • Way Forward:

    • The Gurupadaswamy Committee (1979) on Child Labour concluded that as long as poverty continues, it would be difficult to totally eliminate child labour. It recommended a pragmatic approach of banning child labour in hazardous areas and regulating it in others, a principle that guided the 1986 Act.
    • Civil society action is crucial. Kailash Satyarthi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate (2014), founded the ‘Bachpan Bachao Andolan’ (Save the Childhood Movement) in 1980. His work exemplifies a multi-pronged approach involving raids to rescue children, legal action against employers, and rehabilitation.

JUVENILE DELINQUENCY

  • Concept:

    • Juvenile: A person who has not completed 18 years of age, as per the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015.
    • Delinquency: Refers to anti-social or illegal behaviour by minors. It is not just about crime, but a broader range of disapproved behaviour that, if committed by an adult, would be considered a crime.

  • The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015: This is the primary legislation governing juvenile justice in India. It has a two-pronged approach:

    • Child in Conflict with Law: Deals with children alleged or found to have committed an offence. They are brought before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB).
    • Child in Need of Care and Protection (CNCP): Deals with vulnerable children who are orphaned, abandoned, surrendered, abused, or living on the streets. They are produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC).
    • The Act designates the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) as the statutory body to regulate and monitor adoptions, dealing with children who are declared legally free for adoption by the CWC.

  • Types of Crimes (as classified by the JJ Act, 2015): This classification determines the legal process and potential outcomes for a juvenile.

    • Petty Offences: Offences for which the maximum punishment under the Indian Penal Code or any other law is imprisonment up to three years.
    • Serious Offences: Offences for which punishment is imprisonment between three to seven years.
    • Heinous Offences: Offences for which the minimum punishment is imprisonment for seven years or more. For juveniles aged 16-18 who commit such crimes, the JJB can conduct a preliminary assessment to determine if they should be tried as an adult by the Children’s Court.

  • Implications of Juvenile Delinquency:

    • At Individual Level: A record of delinquency can lead to social stigma (‘naming and shaming’), restricting access to education and employment opportunities. This can lead to social ostracization, isolation, and alienation, perpetuating a cycle of poverty and increasing the likelihood of recidivism (committing further deviant acts).
    • At Family Level: The family of the delinquent child often faces social boycott and stigma. This can strain interpersonal relationships within the family and negatively impact their social and economic standing.
    • At Societal and National Level: A high rate of juvenile crime threatens social peace and harmony. It indicates a failure of social institutions and can escalate into organized crime. From a demographic perspective, it represents a failure to harness the potential of the youth, turning a potential ‘demographic dividend’ into a ‘demographic disaster’ as a significant portion of the population becomes a liability rather than an asset for economic growth.

CHILD MARRIAGE

  • Premise: The mention of the Odisha government’s plan refers to its 2019 strategic action plan to make the state child-marriage free by 2030, which involves strengthening surveillance, promoting girls’ education, and generating community awareness.

  • Concept: Legally, child marriage is defined by The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006. It stipulates the minimum legal age for marriage as 21 years for males and 18 years for females. Any marriage solemnized below these ages is considered a child marriage and is voidable at the option of the minor party.

  • Statistics:

    • India is home to the largest number of child brides in the world, accounting for about one-third of the global total.
    • As per the National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-21), 23.3% of women aged 20-24 were married before the age of 18. The summary’s 16% figure for adolescents (15-19) reflects the prevalence among that specific age cohort.
    • Prevalence is higher in rural areas and states like Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Rajasthan, and Andhra Pradesh.
    • NCRB Data (2020): Shows 785 cases registered under PCMA, 2006, which is widely considered a gross under-representation of the actual number of child marriages due to severe under-reporting.
    • Census 2011: Revealed that 30.2% of all married women were married before they turned 18.

  • Causes:

    • Socio-cultural Factors: The notion of family honour (‘izzat’) is often tied to a girl’s chastity, leading families to marry off daughters early to “protect” them. Lack of safety and security for girls in public spaces reinforces this fear.
    • Economic Factors: A girl child is often perceived as an economic liability or ‘paraya dhan’ (someone else’s wealth). Early marriage transfers this perceived burden.
    • Dowry: The practice of dowry is a significant driver, as the dowry demand is often lower for younger, less-educated brides.
    • Poverty: In extremely poor households, a girl child might be married off early to reduce the number of mouths to feed, or in some tragic cases, treated as a source of income through bride price.

  • Implications:

    • Health and Safety: Child brides face higher risks of domestic violence, marital rape, and sexual abuse. They are socially isolated and have limited agency. Early pregnancy leads to high rates of maternal and infant mortality.
    • Education and Empowerment: Marriage invariably leads to the discontinuation of education for girls, depriving them of opportunities for personal development and meaningful work.
    • Poverty Cycle: Lack of education and economic independence for the mother perpetuates an inter-generational cycle of poverty, poor health, and malnutrition for her children.

  • Way Forward:

    • Ensuring Safety: Creating a safer environment for girls through better law enforcement and community policing.
    • Behavioural Change: Using Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) campaigns through mass media (television, radio) and local folk forms like Nukkad Nataks (street plays) to change patriarchal mindsets.
    • Community Mobilization: Encouraging collective organizing, particularly among women’s Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and youth groups, to act as community watchdogs and prevent child marriages.
    • Role of Civil Society: NGOs play a critical role in awareness generation, intervention, and providing support to girls at risk.

ELDERLY POPULATION

  • Statistics:

    • Census 2011: The elderly population (60+ years) constituted 8.6% of the total population (104 million).
    • Projections: This is projected to increase significantly, reaching around 16% by 2041, indicating a rapid demographic transition towards an ageing society.
    • Ruralization of old age: About 71% of the elderly population resides in rural areas, where access to services is limited.
    • Feminization of old age: The sex ratio among the elderly is skewed in favour of women (1033 females per 1000 males), meaning there are more elderly women than men. Due to higher life expectancy, women often face longer periods of widowhood and associated vulnerabilities.

  • Healthy Ageing: This concept, promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO), has replaced the earlier focus on ‘Active Ageing’.

    • Active Ageing focused on optimizing opportunities for health, participation, and security.
    • Healthy Ageing is defined as “the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables well-being in older age.” It is a more holistic concept focusing on an individual’s ability to do what they value, rather than just the absence of disease.
    • The stark north-south demographic divide in India (southern states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu are ageing much faster than northern states like UP and Bihar) necessitates region-specific policymaking for elderly care, social security, and healthcare infrastructure.

  • Silver Economy:

    • This refers to the system of production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services aimed at utilizing the purchasing potential of older and ageing people and satisfying their consumption, living, and health needs.
    • It represents a new economic opportunity focusing on elderly-specific products like assisted living devices, specialized healthcare, age-friendly homes, and financial products.
    • SAGE (Seniorcare Aging Growth Engine) Initiative: Launched by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, this initiative aims to encourage entrepreneurs and start-ups to develop innovative products and services for the elderly. It acts as a one-stop-access point for elderly care products and services.
    • SACRED (Senior Able Citizens for Re-employment in Dignity) Portal: This is a digital platform that connects senior citizens (seeking employment) with private sector companies (looking for experienced employees), providing them with opportunities for dignified work post-retirement.

  • Issues of Old Age Population:

    • Declining Health: Ageing is associated with an increased prevalence of chronic non-communicable diseases. The problem is worsened by a lack of 4 ‘A’s & ‘Q’ - Awareness, Accessibility, Affordability, Availability, and Quality of healthcare.
    • Income Insecurity: A large percentage of the elderly are not covered by pensions. The decline of the joint family system has eroded traditional social safety nets. Lack of digital literacy and competition from a younger workforce further limit their employment opportunities.
    • Isolation and Neglect: A study by the Agewell Foundation found that 43% of the elderly suffer from depression due to loneliness and isolation. Factors contributing to this include the disintegration of joint families due to globalization and urbanization, the rise of individualism, dual-career families with less time for elder care, and the penetration of technology that can alienate the elderly.
    • Abuse: Due to physical and financial dependence, the elderly are often subjected to physical, financial, verbal, emotional, and sexual abuse, often by their own family members.
    • Problem of Ageism: This refers to stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination against individuals or groups on the basis of their age. The elderly are often perceived as unproductive, a burden, or a liability.
    • Feminization of Old Age & Gender-specific Issues:
      • The historical underrepresentation of women in the formal workforce means many lack pensions or savings, making them financially vulnerable.
      • The World Widows Report (2015) by Loomba Foundation noted India has the highest number of widows globally, who face severe stigma and discrimination.
      • There is a significant digital divide, with studies showing over 60% of older women have never used digital devices.
      • Literacy rates are lower among elderly women (around 45%).
      • UN Women Report: Older women are less likely to have income security. An estimated 65% of women over 60 have no regular source of income. They also lack access to health insurance and face higher rates of abuse.
    • Lack of Adequate Geriatric Care Infrastructure: There is a severe shortage of quality old age homes, palliative care centers, and healthcare professionals trained in geriatrics.
    • Lack of Preparedness: Unlike other life stages, there is little societal or individual preparation for old age, which often “sets in quite and suddenly.”

  • Way Forward:

    • Create an Age-Friendly Environment: Designing public spaces, transport, and services that are accessible to the elderly.
    • Mainstream Geriatric Concerns: Integrating the needs of senior citizens into all development policies.
    • Recognize Elders as Assets: Viewing the elderly not as a burden but as a resource of experience and wisdom.
    • Promote Family Care: Encouraging the care of the elderly within the family through incentives or support systems, with institutional care seen as the last resort.
    • Encourage Employment: Creating flexible work opportunities through SHGs, cooperatives, or roles as mentors in think tanks, counselors, or in multi-generational care homes.
    • Enhance Legislation: Strengthening and enforcing laws like the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007. Promoting non-discrimination in insurance and health services.
    • Combat Ageism: Running public awareness campaigns to challenge negative stereotypes about ageing.

Prelims Pointers

  • Definition of ‘Child’ Acts:
    • Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act: Below 14 years.
    • Factories Act: Below 15 years.
    • Juvenile Justice (Care & Protection) Act, 2015: Below 18 years.
    • POCSO Act, 2012: Below 18 years.
    • UNCRC: Below 18 years.
  • Four Core Child Rights (UNCRC): Survival, Development, Protection, Participation.
  • National Policy for Children: Year 2013.
  • National Plan of Action for Children (NPAC): Year 2016; issued by Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD).
  • NCAG: National Coordination and Action Group, for implementing NPAC.
  • Bal Panchayat: Example of child participation, also known as Makkala Panchayat/Grama Sabhas in Karnataka.
  • NCRB Data on Child Crime: 36% of crimes against children fall under the POCSO Act.
  • MoWCD Study (2007): 53% of children face sexual abuse; abuser is a known person in over 90% of cases.
  • Child Labour Statistics (Census 2011): 10.1 million child labourers (5-14 years). 80% are in rural areas.
  • States with High Child Labour: UP, Bihar, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, MP.
  • Constitutional Articles against Child Labour: Article 24, Article 23, Article 39(e).
  • PENCIL Portal: Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour.
  • ILO Conventions Ratified by India: Convention 138 (Minimum Age) and Convention 182 (Worst Forms of Child Labour).
  • Gurupadaswamy Committee (1979): Committee on Child Labour.
  • Bachpan Bachao Andolan: NGO founded by Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi.
  • Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 Bodies:
    • Juvenile Justice Board (JJB): For children in conflict with law.
    • Child Welfare Committee (CWC): For children in need of care and protection.
  • CARA: Central Adoption Resource Authority, statutory body for adoption in India.
  • Crime Categories (JJ Act): Petty, Serious, Heinous.
  • Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA): Year 2006. Legal age: 21 for males, 18 for females.
  • Elderly Population (Census 2011): 8.6% of total population. 71% rural.
  • Feminization of Old Age (Sex Ratio): 1033 females per 1000 males in 60+ age group.
  • SAGE Initiative: Seniorcare Aging Growth Engine, for promoting start-ups in elderly care.
  • SACRED Portal: Senior Able Citizens for Re-employment in Dignity.
  • Agewell Foundation Study: 43% of elderly suffer from depression due to loneliness.
  • World Widows Report: India has the highest number of widows in the world.

Mains Insights

Child Issues

  • Legislative Ambiguity vs. Targeted Intervention: The varied definitions of a ‘child’ across different statutes (Labour, Factories, JJ Act) highlight a fragmented legal approach. While each definition serves a specific purpose, it creates confusion in implementation and can be exploited. This raises the question: Should India adopt a uniform definition of ‘child’ as 18 years across all laws, in line with the UNCRC, or does a domain-specific approach offer better-targeted protection?
  • Rights-based vs. Welfare-based Approach: The NPAC 2016 signifies a shift from a purely welfarist model (viewing children as passive recipients of aid) to a rights-based framework that emphasizes their right to survival, development, protection, and crucially, participation. The success of ‘Bal Panchayats’ demonstrates that empowering children to participate in decision-making can lead to more effective and sustainable solutions to their problems.
  • Implementation Gaps: Despite robust laws like POCSO, high crime rates (NCRB data) and severe under-reporting (MoWCD study) point to massive implementation gaps. The key challenges are lack of awareness, social stigma, fear of reprisal (especially when the perpetrator is a family member), and an insensitive and overburdened police and judicial system.

Child Labour

  • Poverty-Education-Child Labour Vicious Cycle: As the Gurupadaswamy Committee noted, poverty is the root cause of child labour. Poor families cannot afford education and are compelled to send children to work, which in turn deprives the child of education and skills, trapping them in a cycle of poverty in their adulthood. This cause-effect relationship implies that merely banning child labour without addressing household poverty and ensuring access to quality education is an incomplete solution.
  • The 2016 Amendment Dilemma: The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016, which allows children to help in family enterprises after school hours, is highly debated.
    • Proponents’ View: It balances the child’s right to education with the socio-economic reality of poor families who rely on traditional, family-based skills.
    • Critics’ View (e.g., Bachpan Bachao Andolan): It creates a loophole that can be easily exploited. It is difficult to monitor whether a child is merely “helping” or is being forced into labour, and it blurs the line between learning a traditional craft and hazardous work, potentially legitimizing child labour in the unorganized sector.

Juvenile Delinquency

  • Rehabilitation vs. Retribution Debate: The amendment in the JJ Act, 2015, allowing 16-18-year-olds in heinous crimes to be tried as adults, was a direct consequence of the public outcry after the 2012 Delhi gang-rape case. This marks a shift in legal philosophy.
    • Retributive Argument: Heinous crimes require stringent punishment, regardless of age, to ensure justice for victims and deter future crime.
    • Rehabilitative Argument: The primary aim of the juvenile justice system should be reformation, not punishment. Trying a juvenile as an adult exposes them to the hardened criminals of the adult justice system, potentially destroying any chance of rehabilitation and increasing recidivism. The focus should be on addressing the root causes of delinquency, such as poverty, abuse, and lack of education.

Child Marriage

  • Law vs. Social Norms: The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, is a strong legal instrument, but its limited success (as seen in NCRB data on cases filed) shows that law alone cannot fight deeply entrenched social norms. The causes of child marriage are rooted in patriarchy, poverty, and a perceived lack of safety for girls.
  • Effective Policy Mix: An effective strategy requires a multi-pronged approach:
    1. Legal Enforcement: Stricter implementation of the PCMA.
    2. Economic Empowerment: Providing incentives for girls’ education (e.g., cash transfers conditional on school attendance) and promoting skill development.
    3. Social and Behavioural Change: Sustained IEC campaigns to change community mindsets about the value of a girl child.
    4. Community Action: Empowering local bodies and civil society to act as watchdogs.
  • Debate on Increasing Marriageable Age for Women: The proposal to raise the legal age of marriage for women to 21, to bring it at par with men, is debated. Supporters argue it will empower women, improve health outcomes, and increase educational attainment. Critics argue that without addressing the root causes like poverty and patriarchy, a higher age limit will simply criminalize marriages in poor communities without empowering women, potentially pushing such marriages underground.

Elderly Population

  • Demographic Transition: Challenge and Opportunity: The rapid ageing of India’s population presents a dual challenge: providing social security and healthcare for a large elderly population, and doing so with limited fiscal resources. However, it also presents an opportunity in the form of the ‘Silver Economy’. Tapping into the consumption needs and the productive potential of the elderly can create new markets and jobs.
  • Erosion of Traditional Support Systems: The disintegration of the joint family system has shifted the onus of elderly care from the family to the state. This necessitates a robust, state-supported social security architecture, including universal pensions, health insurance (like Ayushman Bharat), and affordable geriatric care. The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, legally obligates children to care for their parents, but its effectiveness is limited in cases of severe poverty or strained relationships.
  • Feminization and intersectionality: The problems of old age are not uniform; they are compounded by gender. An elderly, widowed woman from a rural, low-income background faces intersectional discrimination and vulnerability. Policies must be gender-sensitive, addressing issues like widow pensions, property rights, and specific health needs of older women.

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