In letter to FM, NGO Seeks Elderly Welfare In Union Budget

New Delhi: An NGO advocating for rights and welfare of the elderly has submitted a comprehensive set of recommendations to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, urging her to address in the Union Budget the growing challenges facing India’s ageing population.

The Agewell Foundation, in a letter to Sitharaman, highlighted that more than 32 crore Indians, forming nearly 20 per cent of the country’s population, would be above the age of 60 by 2050. “This demographic shift demands immediate and robust policy reforms in health care, financial security, and social support systems to ensure dignity and wellbeing in old age,” it said in the letter.

Among the NGO’s key suggestions is the inclusion of medical consultation and pathological tests under existing healthcare policies for those aged 60 and above.