A senior citizen, as per Nepali law, is one who completes 60 years of age. This age slab is vaguely defined and altered from case to case basis, as is convenient to various stakeholders. In civil service, many able and experienced persons are retired at 58 years of age. But for the purpose of entitlement of the State offered cash benefit, the age slab has been raised to 70 years. In 2008, the first republican government led by the Maoist party showed its commitment to the wellbeing of the senior citizens by raising the amount of cash benefits to Rs. 6,000 a year (previously Rs. 2400) for those who had crossed the age of 70. The age level was raised apparently to reduce the number of beneficiaries to the State-sponsored Senior Citizens Cash Benefit Scheme (SCCBS). Elderly persons who get retired from the army, police and civil service are not included in this category since they are entitled to receive pensions and health care benefits from the government separately. In fact, the general cash benefit scheme is so scanty that it cannot even meet basic medical expenses of one person for a month. In essence, the existing mechanisms are insufficient to respond to any comprehensive aged care and welfare requirements of elderly persons on a national scale in present times. A comprehensive Act in 2006 had provisions for the protection and social security of senior citizens. This Act replaces the age old references to the specific needs of elderly persons in the Civil Code and makes it suitable to present day requirements. But many provisions in it cannot address the manifold problems faced by elderly citizens. For the purpose of the Act, senior citizens are defined into several categories depending on their specific conditions and requirements. These include: destitute persons, physically handicapped persons, persons without family support, etc. Section 8 provides the right to file complaint at the local VDC or municipality concerned demanding proper care if someone is left without any care-taker. Section 6 provides the right on senior citizens to dispose his/her property at will. Similarly, Section 8 provides that senior citizens should not be compelled to beg. Despite the constitutional and legal provisions made so far, the truth is that the existing measures fall short of a comprehensive social welfare system directed at providing the much required security and care of senior citizens in response to the changing social environment of Nepal. The rights, protection and facilities provided by the State to senior citizens stand in stark contrast with other South Asian countries, notably India with which Nepal shares a common border. In India, every senior citizen above the age of 65 years is entitled to receive discounts in train and other surface transports, discounts in hospital bills, ration card benefits, etc. Such practices are found to exist against the interest of senior citizens vis-à-vis other social sectors. It is so because elderly persons cannot compete with other social sectors in putting forth their demands and concerns in the manner the students or other pressure groups show their strength in the streets. There is discrimination even in the absence of specific reference to the issues of senior citizens in the Constitution. References made in the Interim Constitution to this important sector is lumped up together with other disabled, destitute and orphans rather than providing this segment a distinct reference. If women, children, youths and janjatis can have distinct references, why not senior citizens have similar status of respect enabling them have their specific rights and welfare needs mentioned in the Constitution of Nepal. A start can be made by inserting a separate clause on them in the fundamental rights chapter by bringing together references scattered in a number of Articles. The alternative to inadequacies apparent in the State initiative is to tap the potentials, skills and ingenuity of private sector in launching innovative Aged Care welfare programs extending benefits to elderly persons having nobody to look after them when in need. Additional resources could be generated by instituting a plan to encourage domiciled Nepalese to invest their earnings, skills and knowledge for aged care welfare schemes that should effectively respond to the specific requirements of their elderly dependents back home. The government too can make good gestures to senior citizens by demonstrating its seriousness to improve their condition of despair and dejection. Start can be made in the forth coming budget by slashing taxes levied on the interest earnings of senior citizens in their bank deposits, allocation of more funding to senior citizens welfare and care programs and, promoting strong partnership between the state and private sector welfare agencies as far as these relate to addressing specific requirements of elderly persons who are increasingly feeling insecure and haunted by the exodus of their progeny at an accelerating rate. (Pokhrel is Chairman, Nepal Press Institute) — gokul.pokhrel@yahoo.com