The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens (MWPSC) Act, 2007 has been passed by the Parliament on 29-12-2007. As per Section 1(3) of the MWPSC Act, all States and Union Territories have notified the Act. The State Government of Kerala has notified the Act on 24-09-2008 and the Rules under the Act on 28-08-2009. The State has constituted Maintenance Tribunals, Appellate Tribunals and designated District Social Justice Officers as Maintenance Officer on 17-08-2009. Presently, 27 Maintenance Tribunals and 14 Appellate Tribunals are working in the State.

As per available records, more than 20,000 cases have been settled so far under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007. State Government of Kerala has disposed of 4232 petitions in the year 2021.

As per the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, application for the maintenance allowance shall be disposed of within 90 days from the date of notice served to the applicant. For early disposal of such cases, the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens (Amendment) Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha on 11-12-2019, has the provision to dispose of maintenance application within 90 days from date of filing, and not from the date of service of notice to the applicant.

As per Section 17 of the Maintenance of Parents and Senior Citizen Act, 2007, no party to a proceeding before a Tribunal or Appellate Tribunal shall be represented by a legal practitioner so that easy, affordable and less time consuming justice may be made accessible to the senior citizens.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment, Sushri Pratima Bhoumik in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

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MG/DP/SB

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