Mere making of pledges or framing of laws aimed at benefitting disadvantaged groups will not make an iota of difference if constraints like lack of commitment or fund crunch are allowed to hinder the implementation process. The recently promulgated Act on Elderly Citizens has only strengthened the legal position as they can now use their property at their own will and not of their kith and kin. But as far as the actual enjoyment of facilities is concerned, the ministries concerned seem incapable of executing certain provisions owing to the dearth of resources. Sadly, the grievances of the elderly in the 9th Plan and even at the fag-end of the 10th Plan still remain unaddressed.

The parents spend their youth bringing up and earning for their children. In old age the least they deserve is emotional and financial security. Hence, children have the duty of looking after their parents but the state, too, cannot shrug off its responsibility towards its senior citizens. The government, regrettably, has not been able to properly distribute the nominal senior citizen’s allowance to all. The government should not promise what it cannot deliver, but once it makes a commitment, it should feel bound by it to gain respectability and credibility. Besides, the affluent could contribute by doing something for the nation’s elderly, like setting up old homes and hospitals. Mere annual observance of Senior Citizens’ Day will be in vain if something concrete is not done for the sake of senior citizens, particularly those with moderate or little or no means at all.