India spends mere 0.032 per cent of GDP on senior citizens: Study

NEW DELHI: India is home to one in every 10 senior citizens of the world, yet the country spends a mere 0.032 per cent of its GDP on them and they are subjected to neglect and isolation, according to a study.

As per the ' State of India's Elderly-2014' report by HelpAge India, the country has 100 million elderly and by 2050 the figure is likely to triple to 324 million.

"But there are not enough dependable community support systems matching this growth," said Mathew Cherian, Chief Executive Officer of HelpAge.

Justice Leila Seth, Chief Guest at the occasion, said "neglect, poverty and isolation" were the major issues affecting the elderly people.

"The elderly population is subjected to neglect and isolation. Losing one's dignity can harm you more than ageing. Lack of love can be a bigger evil than lack of laws to protect you.

"Though elderly continue to face troubles across various strata, the problem worsens when poverty is thrown in," she said.

The report also talked about the need for an effective pension system.

"We have been fighting to regulate the pension system nationally with the introduction of universal pension, but it is a long road ahead vis a vis implementation," said Cherian.

"We have approached Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for the budgetary support to the segment ahead of the Budget Session," he said.

The report states that the ongoing National Programme for Health Care for Elderly is being implemented in only 13 out of the around 600 districts of the country.

While Goa fares better in providing a pension amount of Rs 2,000 per month to the elderly, Bihar does not shell out a single pie, it said.