The Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Rattan Lal Kataria has issued directions to officers of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for taking necessary steps to facilitate vaccination of senior citizens. Acknowledging and appreciating the message conveyed by the Prime Minister on Tika Utsav, Shri Kataria took the opportunity to highlight the contributions of his Ministry in the last few months towards the welfare of senior citizens.

He informed that the Ministry along with the Health Ministry and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) had issued an advisory to be followed by senior citizens and their caregivers during these precarious times. The advisory charts out a detailed list of do’s and dont’s for senior citizens who are mobile, caregivers of dependent senior citizens, and an advisory for the mental well being of the elderly. Ministry also released an office memorandum charting out a set of instructions and steps which may be taken by NGOs and Regional Resource Training Centres in the Integrated Rehabilitation Centre for Addicts/ Old Age Homes/ SC Residential/ Non residential schools/ Hostels.

The Minister also discussed the programmes launched by the government in ensuring a safe ecosystem for the elderly to sustain in these precarious times. Under the Integrated Programme for Senior Citizens (IPSrC), a sub-scheme of National Action Plan for Senior Citizens (NAPSrC), the Ministry provided financial assistance to, inter alia, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) for running andmaintenance of Senior Citizen Homes (Old Age Homes), Continuous Care Homes for Senior Citizens suffering from Dementia/ Alzheimer’s, Homes for 50 elderly women, etc. The Minister focused upon the efforts undertaken under the IPSrC which provides indigent senior citizens with shelter, healthand nutrition in such homes.

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NB/SK/jk/MoSJ&E/13.04.2021

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