Neglect of the elderly, a increasing social ugliness in AP

Eighty-year-old Padmri stood motionless with pain in every line of her face, her hollow eyes were barely recording the words being loudly read by the presiding officer of the maintenance tribunal in the office of Vijayawada sub-collector.

There, old couples were sitting together, bending on some compartment, others on each other. Most of the ophtics avoid contact, not with the authorities, but in the room with small faces, some of which had their own children. The uncomfortable silence in the room was broken only by a topical grooming or rustle of paper.

Padmasri, a resident of an upmarket area in Vijayawada, has two sons and a daughter. After the death of her husband, she sold some of her assets and distributed money equally among her three children.

Believing that his elder son would take care of him, he carried out a gift deed in his favor for the remaining property. But his family allegedly ignored and harassed him and sent him to an old man’s house. Now he is being taken care of by his daughter and son -in -law.

In his complaint, Padmari demanded the cancellation of the gift deed. After an investigation into the case, the Tribunal accepted its claims correct and ordered to cancel the gift deed. The chairperson also ordered both sons to give a monthly maintenance allowance of ₹ 10,000 to their mother.

On paper, justice was given; She won. But Padmasri had no victory in his heart, as he saw the person standing in front of him, the child he had picked up and loved.

However, Padmri is not alone in his pain. Elderly parents’ cases are demanding legal measures to take their children, taking care of them, and many old couples visiting the tribunal office reflect the social observation of the festival.

Among those who waited in the office were Ramakrishna, who kept pace out and outside the room, as if trying to avoid his thoughts. “At the age of 78, it was the emphasis on me. Every journey to this place reminds us of the painful truth that we have been forced to pull our most personal wounds in the public scene, not for retaliation, but to survive,” he said, seeing, seeing his wife wiping his tears quickly.

The elderly couple of Durgapuram have two daughters and a son. Following the weddings of his daughters, he carried out a gift deed, transferring the property of his house in the name of his son, who built a house on that land with a bank loan. He gave his parents a small room to live in that house, but according to the parents, he was subjected to daily harassment and humiliation. This forced them to knock on the Tribunal door.

Tribunal Chairperson, Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO-VIJAWADA) Kavuri Chaitanya said that since the gift deed was under a bank loan, there was some difficulty in canceling it outright. “So we issued orders to evicted the son and directed that the parents be allowed to live peacefully and receive rent from tenants,” he said.

After examining an FIR registered by the parents against the son and a video footage showed the physical abuse that allegedly misbehaved at the hands of his son, the tribunal also executed the son for ₹ 2 lakhs, promising good behavior in future. In addition, the tribunal directed the authorities to ensure that the bond has been implemented.

A law in time

The law that came to the rescue of these two elderly persons is the maintenance and welfare of the parents and senior citizens (MWPSC) Act. In December 2007, it aims to address the growing examples of abandonment, neglect and misuse faced by the elderly parents at the hands of his family members. It creates a legal obligation for children and successors to take care of their elderly family members and provides mechanisms for maintenance, property safety and safety of parents and senior citizens.

Under this law, the states have formed the maintenance tribunals at the sub-division level and appointed sub-divisional officers as chairpersons or presiding officers, who hear complaints filed by senior citizens or parents against their children or relatives, who have neglected or left them, who have neglected or left them, menstrual maintenance and, some cases in some cases, even in cases, even in cases, even in cases, There is also an order.

At the district level, Appellate Tribunals have been formed, headed by District Magistrates and they hear an appeal against the decisions of maintenance tribunals.

The Government of Andhra Pradesh has constituted maintenance tribunals in all 77 sub-regions under RDOS/sub-collector, and Appellate Tribunal in all 26 districts under district collectors.

Tapid compliance

Despite the legal support, non-transportation of tribunal orders is a major challenge. Mothukuri Venkateswara Rao says, “Even after implementing the provisions under Section 11 of the Act, the payment of maintenance often delays.

He says that in some cases, children move to the High Court, ask for a decision against the payment of maintenance and draw their parents into a long legal battle.

In October last year, while responding to concern over the non-transportation of the tribunal orders raised by Rao in the Krishna District Committee of senior citizens, the District Collector asked the RDO to open separate bank accounts for senior citizens in the name of RDO and directed the respondents to pay reluctance or maintenance to pay their parents through this account. “This is done to bring accountability from the respondents,” says Chaitanya.

Graying Demography

This is important for Andhra Pradesh for Andhra Pradesh, given the data available on ‘population estimates for India and states and states 2011-2036’ with the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. It states that AP is expected to increase the ratio of senior citizens compared to the national average (19% for Andhra Pradesh vs 15% for India in 2036).

In 2023, people of the age of 60 and above in Andhra Pradesh’s population had 16%stake, which was more than 11%of the national average. This number is expected to increase by 23% in the state, compared to the national stake of 18% by 2047. Apart from this, Andhra Pradesh will rank 4^Wan In 2036, in proportion to senior citizens, about a senior citizen for every five persons.

The report stated that for the dependence ratio of old age, it will increase from 15.7% to 28.9% in the state in 2011, with more elderly women than the elderly men.

“Maintenance tribunals have so far received 2,610 claims, of which 2,221 have been settled, 151 have been settled through reconciliation officers, 179 have been rejected, 1,907 pending by tribunal and 389,” A. Surya Kumari, Principal Secretary of women, children, disabled and senior citizens say. She says that appellate tribunals received 111 claims, of which 93 have been settled and 18 are pending.

Meanwhile, the department has taken several measures to ensure smooth legal navigation for the elderly in the state. Surya Kumari says, “We realize that someone’s misbehavior or oppression by his children is cut differently. It breaks a heart that often comes with shame, crime and isolation. So we treat them sensitively.”

There are efforts to raise awareness on the Act through collectors, street plays and hoardings installed in pamphlet distribution across the state. Surya Kumari says, “The elderly are being educated about the law. We recommend them to include a clause in a gift, stating that the gift is being done with the hope that the recipient will take care of their welfare during their lifetime.”

He said that 38,89,793 elders receive social security pension in the state, and 31,27,923 of them are senior citizens (over 60 years). For transportation, they are given 25% concession on all types of buses operated by the State Road Transport Corporation. These buses have semi-less floors and three seats on each are reserved for senior citizens. It is in addition to the free distribution of wheelchair, hearing device, adult walking rods and glasses supplied to people needed.

A health benefit card, ‘Ayushman via Vandana Card’, a central initiative, Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Managan Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-Jai) scheme has been launched. This scheme provides people who avail health benefits of more than 70 years up to ₹ 5 lakh per year, even if regardless of the financial situation of the person.

Coalition government in the state Dr. The NTR intends to implement the scheme in alignment with the current 3,257 medical procedures covered under the Vaidya Seva Scheme.

Surya Kumari says, “Geiatric Care is one of the focus areas, as the estimated number of senior citizens above 70 years in Andhra Pradesh is 25,94,554 out of 19,43,486 families.”

In addition to the surrendered slightly medical wards in district and government general hospitals, bed-based care is made available to elderly patients under the concept of ‘family doctor’ and cashless treatment in government and private hospitals per family and up to 25 lakhs, BPL candidates are made available under NTR Vaidya Service initiative.

To construct a care -making community through training programs, the government has collaborated with the Heritage Foundation, an organization based in Hyderabad that is working to travel a vibrant life for a strong life for aging.

Nominated as a resource and training center (RRTC) by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, members of the Foundation work in 12 districts of Andhra Pradesh. Foundation t. Ravi’s Project Coordinator says, “We oversee facilities in the state and organize extensive training programs for care-goals, administrators and healthcare professionals, for careful care, psychosis management and capacity-making workshops for senior citizens’ organizations. He says that this idea is to prepare the next generation of professionals to deal with the challenges of elderly care to ensure that the elders spend their last years in peace and dignity.

(The names of the plaintiff have been changed)